Through the Eyes of an Outcast
by Dorrica
Summary: /DISCONTINUED/ A look into the heart and mind of an ambitious, evil genius, who everyone thought they had figured out. Mojo Jojo tells his story of how he came to be. -An autobiography-
1. Introduction

**Title:** Through the Eyes of an Outcast  
**Author:** Dorri  
**Summary:** A look into the heart and mind of an ambitious, evil genius, who everyone thought they had figured out. Mojo Jojo tells his story of how he came to be. (An autobiography)  
**Rating:** K+ (for violence)  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own Mojo, though I wish I did. I just love that little chimp. He's sole property of Craig McCracken.

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THROUGH THE EYES OF AN OUTCAST

_An autobiography by Mojo Jojo_

…

Introduction

…

I know what you must be thinking. It's not every day a criminal decides to sit down and write an autobiography of himself, but I believe it is best to see what goes on in a criminal's mind in an entirely different perspective. People seem to think criminals are born of pure hate. They always think we do not have a story to tell, or that we could not possibly know what it's like to feel pain or misery. They think they can take one look at us and assume they know everything there is to know. After all, we are villains, right? What's to know? We are just soulless beings who seek the thrill of causing others pain. Come on, do you really think we are all _that _one-dimensional?

Writing this book was something I had not planned on doing. The idea just sort of occurred to me. I have spent three months in prison now after another failed attempt to destroy the Powerpuff Girls. I really don't think I need to go into great detail. I'm sure most of you know the major details already. I've sat in this dank cell, planning my escape for some time now, when my mind began to wander. Eventually, the thought of escaping had crept so far back into my mind that it had practically done away with itself, and as much as I tried to focus on escaping, it just proved to be too much of an effort. My mind was elsewhere.

For a couple of weeks I found myself being bombarded with dream upon dream, nightmare upon nightmare, and it continued on and on until I was almost at the point of tears. Frustrated and distraught, I started writing down these horrendous dreams in a notebook, meaning for them only to be journal entries-a way to express myself. But as I continued to read over every detail, my little idea for this entire autobiography was birthed.

Before I became a criminal mastermind, I was an outcast. I lived on the streets, scrounging for whatever I could find to eat, and to top it all off, I had to endure the harsh words of the citizens. They looked upon me as a freak, which I guess could have been considered pretty predictable. They insulted me, mocked me, and I took every bit of it with a lowered head. Yes, humankind can be harsh. I have known that even before the incident that made me the way I am, and I'll go more into detail about that in a little bit.

There is not one soul in the entire world who can look at me and say they know everything about me. I certainly cannot walk down the street, take one look at someone and say _I _know everything about him or her. I will admit, though, that I acknowledge and accept the fact that I have committed plenty of crimes which could very easily cloud anyone's judgment. But despite all that, I do not think it's fair to say that I cannot feel any other emotion besides anger or bitterness. It's easy to say a person is heartless, or has no soul, based on their actions, but I have never been a firm believer of this because I believe you cannot have anger without happiness, and you cannot have happiness without sadness, etc…. All these different emotions serve as a balance in our own minds, but it's very easy for it to become unbalanced and this is what makes your criminals, or your loners. Maybe it _does _sound ridiculous, but that's how I personally see it.

Most see me and think, _That's Mojo Jojo, the most notorious criminal in Townsville. The Powerpuff Girls' worst enemy._ I'll bet most of you didn't even know I was once Professor Utonium's lab assistant. Yes, that's right, me, Mojo Jojo, formally known as Jojo. And that's just one of the many things you'll know about me when you get done reading this book.

The point of this book is for you to see it through my eyes; to understand the journey I unwillingly had to take in order to get me where I am today. It is a journey that I cannot easily forget and a memory that has remained vivid and agonizing. I have not always been angry or menacing as you are accustomed to seeing me. I only hope that you take the time to read this book all the way through, if you are even intrigued enough to pick it up off a book shelf.

Your opinions of me probably will not change, and I do not really expect them to, but I'm not really looking to change anyone's opinion, honestly, but to instead get everyone to understand that you cannot make a snap judgment about someone when you really do not even know the first thing about them. If you still think I'm a cold-hearted monster after you read this book, then at least I will know that you are not just assuming you know everything about me when you know absolutely nothing. After all, every coin has two sides.

You know me as a criminal, a freak and a monster but you've never seen it through my eyes. My name is Mojo Jojo, and this is my tale.

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**A/N: **I thought it was time I tried writing something different for a change, and I still have a soft spot for PPG, and especially Mojo. Yes, yes, I'm just another one of those losers who believes he's just misunderstood. I honestly don't know where this story came from. It was just one of those things that I HAD to write. This is basically just a break from all the PPG/RRB fics that are floating around. I have nothing against them, but there's just too many. I mean, way too many and really, enough is enough. I think a lot more possibilities need to be explored with the show. There's plenty of characters besides the Rowdyruff Boys to choose from and who are not quite as flat as them.

I can't promise the story will stay up. I've been known to delete a lot of stories after I lose interest, but we'll see where it goes. Reviews would be much appreciated :D


	2. Africa

**I**

…

Africa

…

Alright, we've gotten past the introduction. Let's start from the beginning, shall we?

I was born in western Africa, and I remember it as a place of beauty. It is the sort of place that seems to be drawn away from the real world and offers that fair amount of tranquility that is nearly impossible for one to find anymore. Jungles, lakes, mountains and wildlife of a wide variety can be found there . It was my home. A home I wish I could go back to now, and probably would have if other…desires did not keep me preoccupied, but now that I really think about it, I do not think I would belong there anyway. Not anymore. I'm too different, and as much as it pains me to say this, too human.

I can remember almost everything that has ever happened in my life in vivid detail--every sight, sound, smell, and word to have ever been spoken. But the day of my birth is one of the few memories of my life that my mutated brain cannot paint a perfect picture of. But most of us cannot remember the moment we took our first breath of air. What I can remember about that day is cast in a vast amount of shadows. I can only shed some light on but a few things. What I _can _remember is being nestled in my mother's arms, and the sounds of the outside world all around me.

As I got older I wanted to explore pretty much everywhere, but my mother had to assist me everywhere we went. She had to carry me in one arm for the first few months after my birth. By the time I reached about six months I started riding on my mother's back since my gripping reflexes had strengthened, but there were still times when I would slip and fall off.

It wasn't until I was about eight months old that my mother allowed me to wander around without her aid. I had noticed some chimpanzee babies months younger than me had already started wandering around on their own, even started trying to make their own nests, but my mother was overly protective of me. I guess that was not a bad thing, but I'm sure most of you can understand it got annoying after a while. She was always careful to not let me out of her sight and if I ever got too far away from her, she would call me back to her. Since I was still so young, I couldn't walk properly, and stumbled and fell quite a few times if I ever tried to run. Like that was going to stop me. I wanted to be everywhere at once and nothing could convince me otherwise.

The jungle I lived in was thick, lush and offered plenty of great adventures for a young chimp. Of course there was always that territorial issue that came into play and I always had to pay attention to where I was and what I was doing. Us chimpanzees were not the only ones living amongst the trees. Apes and monkeys of many species shared the jungle with us, but one group of apes in particular kept me cautious and that was the gorillas, as they are extremely territorial and will even attack other gorillas if they feel threatened or if someone else might be trespassing through their nesting grounds. I learned to keep my distance from them after seeing what they could do. They frightened me, but despite all that, I admired their power and passion very much. To me, they ruled the jungle; they gave us a great sense of security; they were our protectors.

I was very curious when I was young and felt I had to explore every inch of the jungle, whether it was on the jungle floor, or all the way up in the canopy. Of course I wasn't a master climber yet, and really and truly, I shouldn't have been climbing to begin with, but everything was an adventure or a game to me and I never once hesitated to explore what I thought I could. To me, the jungle _was _the world--an entirely different world for that matter, and I wanted to know every secret that dwelled within it.

You might be wondering if I had any friends. Well as a matter of fact, I did. I made one friend, a colobus monkey by the name of Kojo. Colobus monkeys are also territorial, but they usually kept their distance from us. I had always admired their morning chants. I guess they were sort of the roosters of the jungle. It was their way of introducing a new day, and I woke up to the inspiring chant every morning. They are also extraordinary jumpers, and Kojo carried out this fact quite well, much to my annoyance.

I would watch him leap from tree to tree with graceful ease, and when we played together I always tried to keep up with him, and it always frustrated me when he took to the trees because I still had not mastered climbing yet, and he never passed up a moment to tease me about it. I always hated it when others could do things that I could not. I felt a sense of incompletion; I felt left out, and the problem was that I always had this feeling that I needed to be the best at everything, and that was something that never changed.

After following him into a tree--with a great deal of effort for me--I watched him leap from branch to branch as if it were nothing. It looked easy enough, so I followed his lead and tried leaping onto one of the branches in front of me, but it was not surprising that the thing broke when I grabbed it. So I plummeted about twenty feet until I hit the ground, and quite painfully I might add, despite the large quantity of leaves that had accumulated onto the jungle floor. Yeah, go ahead and laugh. Everyone else did. Well, except for my mother. She only scolded me.

My mother never really approved of our friendship, not because she did not like Kojo, but for Kojo's own safety. After all, chimpanzees will actually eat colobus monkeys, and a hungry chimpanzee would not pass up an easy meal. If Kojo ever got too far away from his mother, then it could easily have been disastrous. So whenever we played together, we tried to keep as far away from the other adults as we could. Our friendship was odd in its own way and a bit unnatural, but when you are young, you are pretty open-minded about pretty much anything and could care less how nature intended for things to be.

We usually stayed in the sanctity of the jungle, never so much as venturing into the flattened terrain that stretched out towards the horizon. Yes, I knew of the potential danger, and knew how much trouble I could get into, but there was just that natural need to be defiant. Kojo and I had wandered away from our groups one day, keeping low to the ground and unseen. It had always been a mystery to us as to what was out there, and I really wanted to satisfy my curiosity, as well as put my courage to the ultimate test, even though at that moment I could practically hear my mother yelling at me to turn back. You see, all primate children are no different than human children. We never listened to our parents, either.

At first we saw no evidence of danger. All that we could really see was the tall grass. There were hardly any trees, just a wide area of land. I didn't understand what was so dangerous about it, but I will admit there was an eerie silence that had lingered there, and it gave me a strange, uncomfortable feeling.

Kojo pushed me along through the tall grass, and I watched as he darted off ahead of me and leapt onto a large boulder. I then watched with amusement as he stood on two legs and gave a loud territorial bark. After I had climbed the boulder myself, he turned to me and then stared me down with a penetrating gaze, but I still caught his smirk. I took the hint and stared him down as well. Several moments later, a fake battle for territory ensued and we playfully wrestled atop the boulder. The battle lasted but a minute, ending after he tossed me off the rock. He found it quite amusing, but I most certainly wasn't laughing.

After climbing back onto the rock, I sat myself down next to Kojo and let my eyes wander the green and gold sea that swayed in the wind's gentle caress. I barely even noticed Kojo picking the bugs out of my fur and eating them. My eyes came to rest upon a heard of zebras that stood grazing off in the distance. I watched them with interest for some time when I noticed them begin to flee, and quite suddenly, too. I looked around for the cause of their startle but saw nothing. Nonetheless, I felt my heart rate begin to pick up. Once the zebras disappeared out of my line of vision, I finally managed to calm down a little, but there was still that eerie silence that really pinched a nerve inside of me.

"What was that all about?" Kojo had asked me in our native tongue. I could only shrug, since I honestly had no clue as to what could have startled the zebras. I could already sense that something wasn't right, and my fur began to stand on end. I tried to keep myself under control so to not let Kojo see that I was actually afraid, but I got the feeling he sensed something as well; he was sniffing the air and not lightly either.

We sat in silence a while longer. I was about to suggest we head back to the jungle when I heard a small noise from behind. We both turned our heads sharply, expecting to find the source of the sound, but only found more of the tall green and brown grass. I knew I heard something though, like the sound of a twig snapping. Kojo had already turned back around, now preoccupied with picking bugs out of his own fur, but I didn't let my settled gaze falter.

I then noticed something horrifying--a pair of eyes. A pair of dark, haunting, green eyes staring back at me with hunger. I could have sworn my heart stopped beating for just a split second. I let out a high pitched yell and pushed Kojo forward off the boulder just as the leopard launched. We hit the ground hard and didn't waste any time getting back up and running for our lives. The leopard had leapt over the rock, trying to make a snag for one of us as we descended from the boulder, but it didn't take long for him to get turned back around and charge us again. The tall grass was but a small sanctuary, and we were too busy ranting and screaming for us to keep hidden. The leopard simply had to follow the sound of our running and panting.

Kojo fell behind me, and even today I hate myself for not turning around to make sure he was behind me.

The sound of a strangled cry was the last I heard from Kojo. I skidded to a halt and forced myself to turn around, only to quickly wish I hadn't. I can only say that the sight was devastating and gut-wrenching. The golden grass was sprinkled with blood, as well as the ground I stood upon. I was frozen, immobile, as though every part of my body was paralyzed. I could only stand and watch, my heart pulsating in my chest at a painful speed.

There then came the sound of a loud roar, so loud that it startled the leopard and forced it to cease its feeding. I finally managed to find myself and I, too, turned to the sound. A silverback gorilla came charging out of the jungle, teeth bared and eyes ablaze. I could hear the other apes and monkeys within the trees, yelling and screaming at the top of their lungs, knowing what had just occurred. The gracious gorilla stepped in front of me and stood on two feet, bringing itself to a maximum height of nearly six feet, and then pounded its chest with its fists. Another loud roar followed these exertions, and the leopard took the hint and took off, leaving the mangled body of Kojo in its wake.

I don't know what was more heart-wrenching, watching Kojo die, or seeing the expression on his mother's face when she came to realize that her only child was dead and gone. It was too much to bear, and I couldn't take it, so I ran. I ran and ran and ran until I was resting safely in my mother's arms. I knew a lecture would come, but at that time, my mother simply soothed me with gentle words and stroked my fur. I was in a state of shock, and couldn't keep myself from trembling. Everything I said came out as a fit of ridiculous babbling, and my mother could only respond with, "It's ok, I'm here."

………

That night I could not sleep. I couldn't close my eyes without seeing the horrific event I had witnessed that day. My mother was awake as well, watching me intently.

"How many times have I told you never to go out there?" she asked softly. I knew this moment would come, but I could only stare straight ahead, my gaze settled only on darkness and my expression blank. "What if you had been killed today as well? What were you thinking?" Her voice had grown more firm and had risen slightly in tone. I couldn't help but wince.

I had found myself in dangerous situations before. This certainly was not the first time. When I was about seven months old, I had a close encounter with a python after I had wandered away from my mother. If one of the older members of our group had not been there to save me, then I probably would not be here right now.

"I don't know, Mama," was all I could mumble as a reply. I truly did not know. I had been asking myself that same question all day. When you are young, it's always in your nature to do things that you know you shouldn't, but the severity of what you have done never seems to really hit you until after you suffer the consequences of your actions. This is a lesson I have learned almost every day of my life.

"You're so young," she went on. With a great effort, I finally forced myself to look at her. I knew the severity of my mistake, but I could not bear to see her so afraid for my life. She looked as though she had already lost me, but she then added a solemn, "I can't lose you. You're all I have."

I quietly crawled over to her, burying my face into her fur. I had no energy left; I couldn't cry. Every ounce of energy had been zapped from my body and I finally accepted sleep. In my mother's arms I felt safe.

But little did I know that that was the last time I would ever feel safe again. Kojo's death is something I am telling to you because it is a tragedy that is far different than what I am about to reveal. As painful and heart-wrenching as it may be, it is a part of nature and cannot be viewed with scornful opinions. However, what I am about to tell you varies in all aspects; it is tragedy in our eyes, but thrill and pleasure in a human's.

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**A/N: **Once again, I apologize for the shortness, and I apologize for not updating sooner. I was kind of waiting to see if I might get anymore reviews. I really wanted to get some good feedback so I'd have a better idea if people were going to like the story or not. I wasn't really expecting a lot of reviews. I can see that this isn't a very active fandom. But I just want to say thanks to the people who did review. It will be described how Mojo came to live with the Professor shortly, and I also plan to touch base into Mojo's POV during the film. I think the movie was sort of what inspired this fic.


	3. The Hairless Apes

II

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The Hairless Apes

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Remember when I mentioned mankind being cruel before the chemical X incident? Well, I will be describing in great detail every event behind that assumption.

The first several days after Kojo's death were very difficult, and even more so for Kojo's family. For two days the colobus monkeys did not chant, which brought a great deal of sadness to the other monkeys, for the chanting always put them in great spirits; but the despair was just too great for any amount of happiness to settle within their shattered hearts.

I felt responsible, even though I didn't talk Kojo into going out there. In fact, it was his idea, but I did not say anything against it. I know I should have and it ate at me continuously. I knew we were going against what our parents told us. I still hate myself even today for it. He was the only true friend I ever had, and now I can never get close to anyone else without fearing something might happen to them, too. But for the past couple of years I don't think I have ever _wanted _to get close to anyone else. Trust is very fragile, and I do not have enough trust left within me to spare without the fear of it being broken. Why is my trust so unstable? Well, it all has to do with the subject behind this chapter you are currently reading.

Now then, to first answer a question I'm sure is on your minds, I was eleven months old at the time of these events. Yes, very young since chimps mature at about the same rate as humans. Too young even for me to have been wandering away from my mother very often, and she scolded me quite often for it, actually. Most chimps that age tend to cling to their mothers most of the time, but I was just too curious for my own good. After that day, however, I vowed to stay close to my mother until I was mature enough to survive without her.

But you know, dangers outside of the jungle were not the only thing we had to worry about. Sometimes even the most frightening things had a tendency to wander into our domain. I remember when our group had gathered one evening to share stories, which was something we did almost every other day, and I enjoyed it very much, but the story I'm about to describe was not exactly what I was expecting to hear.

Rudo was the dominant male in our group, and a much respected chimpanzee. I always idolized him because there was nothing he could not do, including telling a great story. Sometimes he would tell us scary stories, and sometimes he'd tell us funny stories. I mean, we all told stories, but I always looked forward to story telling because I knew Rudo would always have a story that would never dampen my satisfaction, but on this one night, he told us a story that left me scared out of my wits.

He told us a frightening tale of a creature known as the hairless ape. A creature that looked like us, but was so different in its nature. It spoke a different language, had hardly any hair except for the small amount on top of its head, but that wasn't the most frightening thing about these creatures. Rudo spoke of an oddly shaped stick they carried with them that shot fire and made a loud, ear-shattering noise, and anyone within range of these things would face certain death. Most called them fire sticks, but some also referred to them as thunder sticks because of the loud, thunderous sound they made.

Most of the younger chimps had never heard of such a thing, but the older chimps, who were well into their forties looked on with fury burning wildly in their eyes. They had obviously seen the monster that Rudo had spoken of, and that's how I knew this was not some wild tale told out of thin air.

The next thing Rudo told us left us all in a state of awe. He told us about his older brother, Baako, who was killed by these apes some years before most of us had even been born. He told us no matter how much they may look like us, they are not to be trusted. They are monsters, and made a pleasure out of killing. They did not kill to live, they lived to kill, and they would not hesitate to spill our blood.

I noticed other colonies of apes and monkeys had gradually started moving in, taking an extreme interest in Rudo's words. Once he took note of their presence, he spoke up.

"We all live within our own groups, colonies, communities, but we are all brothers and sisters, and as such, we must look out for one another in times of peril. These apes might look like us, but they are killers and they will come back, I can assure that. They are out for our blood, and if they are to set foot into our home, we will fight."

This was clearly not just some story for our listening pleasure. This was a warning not to be taken lightly and to be heeded without a faltering guard. I leaned closer to my mother and she put an arm around me for comfort. "It's alright," she said.

Rudo ended the story with an apology. "It's not my pleasure to frighten anyone," he said regretfully, "but it was time it was said. These creatures do not wish to kill us simply to fill their empty bellies. No, they kill just to kill. If they are to ever set foot in our jungle again, do not show them your fear. We _will _fight them if death so does claim us."

That was another thing I loved about Rudo. He was a motivational speaker, and knew how to get his point across to everyone, and he sure as heck got it across to me, because I sat there _trembling._

After Rudo had finished speaking, things were silent for a while, but then other chimps started brightening the mood with happier tales, hoping to up the spirits of the frightened youngsters.

"What if the hairless apes come to get us?" I whispered to my mother, barely even acknowledging the current story that was being told.

"I won't let them."

I believed her. I believed we'd be safe, but a mother can only do so much for her child. She can't protect her child from every little danger in the world, but it's not like she would have ever admitted to that. She did what any mother would do for her baby. She swore she would protect me and keep me out of harm's grasp.

Things slowly returned to normal for about a month. Well, as normal as they could be I suppose. I remained within my mother's sight quite often, and for a while I had forgotten all about the leopard incident, but only because my mind was still weary of the hairless apes Rudo had spoken of. I was twice as cautious as I had ever been. I jumped at almost every noise I heard and slept very close to my mother at night. As time progressed, I started to feel a little more at ease.

One night though, things changed, and not for the better.

………

It was a rather chilly night when it all happened. I can't recall how late in the year it was, but I just remember it was a little colder than most nights, and it was normally very humid. The sun had long since gone down, but I remained awake. I sat stalk still while my mother picked the bugs out of my fur. My mind was elsewhere. My ears twitched and my eyes darted from one direction to the next. It took me a while to even acknowledge that my mother was speaking to me.

"Huh?" I turned to see her eying me with concern.

"What is it?" she asked. "You're so quiet, and you look agitated about something."

I shrugged. "I don't know. I feel like something bad is going to happen." I peered over the nest and down at the ground, or what I could see of it at least. "I'm hungry," I added with a whimper. My mother reached over and picked me up, cradling me to her chest with one arm as she started making her way down the tree. I held onto her thick fur tightly as we made our way down. It was so dark; I always feared my mother might miss a branch and fall, but she touched ground safely and I loosened my hold, but I did not let go, not when it was as dark as it was. It _looked _like any normal night, and ordinarily I would not have been so scared, and I was starting to regret telling my mother I was hungry. We rarely ever left the nest at night, and to be on the ground, in the jungle, in near pitch darkness would be frightening for anyone. I think my mother had started to sense my restlessness and so she pulled me closer to her chest. I was _not _about to ride on her back.

She brought me over to a large mound of dirt, which I knew straight away was a well-constructed ant hill. My mother broke off a thin piece of bamboo and handed it to me. I knew what to do; I had watched my mother fish for termites and ants many times, and it hadn't taken long for me to pick up on the technique.

I placed the bamboo inside of the ant hill slowly, then pulled it back out, revealing the dozens of ants running wildly in all directions all along the bamboo. I gobbled them up in a heartbeat. I repeated this action until I had finally satisfied my hunger. Eating insects was something I did quite often. They were the first real solid foods I had ever eaten, but I'm almost ashamed to say that I have become so accustomed to human food that I would probably never eat another insect as long as I live.

We were about to retreat back to our nest when a loud popping noise sounded throughout the jungle. Every monkey that had been asleep was awakened instantly and began shouting their warning cries of danger very loudly. I looked up at my mother who was looking around frantically for the source of the sound.

What I heard next was a different sound, and though it wasn't as loud as the popping sound, it sent chills up my spine. I didn't know what it was at the time, but I can tell you now that it was the distant howl of dogs, and to be more precise, blood hounds.

Looking ahead in the direction of the howls, I could see several lights waving about and could hear strange voices, speaking in a language I could not understand. I heard the loud popping noise again, and the painful cry of a gorilla. I felt the color drain from my face.

My mother wasted no time. She picked me up roughly and started sprinting. I could only shut my eyes in terror and cling to her fur. _'Make it stop' _I thought over and over again. _'Make it stop, make it stop, make it stop!'_

The dogs were getting louder, and that horrible popping noise continued. Even through the sound of the angry cries of the other apes and monkeys, I could still hear it. It was that loud, and it left my ears ringing.

"Get 'em!" I heard a voice yell excitedly.

I cracked one eye open for just a moment to see my mother begin to make her way up the tree to our nest. I then turned my head just enough so that I could see what was going on behind us. That's when I saw them -- the hairless apes. Rudo did not miss a single detail in his descriptions. They had no fur, except for the little bit on top of their heads, and they carried the frightening fire sticks he had spoken of, and one of them was pointed in our direction. "Shoot it!" another ape shouted.

I closed my eyes and buried my face in my mother's chest as the shot rang out. I clutched her fur even tighter as I felt her begin to plummet. We hit the ground rather hard and I rolled a few feet after we hit. I was a bit dazed for a few moments due to the hard impact, but once my vision had cleared again, I looked over towards my mother, only to see that she wasn't moving. I felt my heart leap into my throat and I sprinted over to her and tried in vain to shake her awake.

I wanted to scream for help but everywhere I looked there was chaos. Monkeys and chimps were running everywhere, and the loud popping noises ensued, most ensuring the death of one more victim. After a moment it seemed as though everything was quiet and in slow motion. It almost did not seem real to me. For just a second I thought I was just in some sort of horrendous nightmare, and I would be waking up at any moment in my mother's arms. Well, that's what I had hoped would happen.

I suddenly felt sick to my stomach.

"Hurry and grab the baby," a different, more deep voice barked. I looked up in alarm, only to find myself being blinded by several bright lights (flashlights). I squinted and held up a hand to shield the light, then looked desperately to my mother, but she remained motionless. With the white light shining on her body, I was able to see the small wound located on the small of her back, as well as the river of blood that still poured from it. It was evident to me that she was dead, and this realization made me feel very lightheaded, and not to mention helpless.

I started backing away from the apes in fear, but it was impossible to see where I was going due to the bright lights constantly shining in my face. They were all around me; there was nowhere I could flee.

"Get it! Hurry up!"

Suddenly, one of the apes stepped forward, and one of the bright lights moved with him and out of my face, fortunately. I was finally able to get a good look at him, and I saw that he carried with him a large knapsack in one hand, while his other hand was outstretched and aiming for me. I could already see where this was going. Acting quickly, I turned and tried to flee but a large, growling blood hound was blocking my path as well as a rather bulky ape. "Hurry and grab it!" it shouted.

The ape grabbed me by the scruff of my neck and lifted me to where I was eye level with him. He was definitely the most frightening of the apes. His face was very rugged as though he had not had a good shave in days, and his long hair which he had been pulled into a messy ponytail looked as though it could have used a good washing. The creature looked positively filthy. And humans thought _we _were dirty. The black fedora on his head was probably the best piece of clothing on his entire body. "Well, aren't you a cute little thing?" he said. "You're gonna make me a nice little chunk of change." He then reached out his other hand and tickled me under the chin, making a mockery out of my capture. Narrowing my eyes, I leaned forward and bit the ape's finger as hard as I could. "You little bastard!" he shouted, pulling his bloody finger away quickly. I couldn't suppress a smirk. "You're lucky I don't shoot you right now just for that."

I always hated the way that human looked at me. He looked like a bloodthirsty animal. His eyes were a dark, coal color and were always narrowed, and add that on with an evil grin of yellow teeth and it makes for a pretty horrific sight.

The next thing I saw managed to lighten my fear, though. It was Rudo, and he was charging us with blind fury, his eyes set directly on the ape that was holding me. I cried out to him for help, reaching my tiny arms out towards him. He had been my last hope of escape.

"Drop him, beast!" he screamed as he came within closer range. There was a sudden clicking sound to my left and I turned just in time to see one of the apes hold up the gun and fire. I watched, horrified as Rudo fell to the ground, just three feet within reach of me. My outstretched arms slowly fell to my sides, and my heart dropped into my stomach.

"That was a mean-looking thing," the ape said as he opened the knapsack and stuffed me in it roughly. My subsided panic had risen again. I could hardly breathe and I didn't know what was going to happen to me. My mother was dead, Rudo was dead, I had been captured, and now I was officially on my own, unaware of what the future would hold for me.

I felt the apes begin to walk, while still hearing the loud popping sound of the fire sticks, and the painful cries of my brothers and sisters. For that moment in time, I had lost all hope. I covered my ears with my hands and shut my eyes tightly, trying with all my strength to fight back the tears. I started screaming, desperate to drown out the noise of the gunshots and every screaming monkey in the jungle, but the ape carrying me gave the knapsack a rough shake. "Shut up, you little varmint!" it snapped. I had not the slightest idea what he had said, but I was smart enough to know that he wanted me to keep quiet. I had to keep a hand placed firmly over my mouth, for it was too hard not to scream whenever I heard another gunshot.

After I was certain I was going to die from suffocation, the knapsack was finally opened and I wasted no time in filling my lungs with a breath of fresh air, but my one moment of tranquility was cut short as a hand reached into the sack and grabbed me by the back of my neck again.

"This will make a nice little home for ya," the ape said with amusement and then tossed me into a steel bar cage, surrounded by other young chimps and monkeys that had been captured by the murderous beasts.

"What's going on?"

"What happened?"

"Where's my mama?"

"I'm scared!"

Everyone was in a panic and couldn't make heads or tails of the situation. I was in the same boat, but I was the only one too shocked and disoriented to utter a single word. Most everyone else around me was trying with all their might to break out of the sturdy cages, but I did not have a firm grasp of reality for me to even attempt to claim my rightful freedom. I had nothing left to lose, nothing left to give. I was at the mercy of the hairless apes, and death seemed like the only thing left for me.


	4. The Journey Begins

**III**

…

The Journey Begins

…

I did not know where I was going, or what the hairless apes planned to do with me, but I did know that my perils had not ended yet. It would be a miracle if I got out of this alive. I had no one to protect me, and I knew for a fact that even if I did manage to get away from those beasts there would be next to no chance of me surviving for very long on my own.

Once the apes completed their killing spree, I saw them return from the jungle, some with caged monkeys and young apes. Many of them were just babies, most my own age I had to force myself to look away from the sight.

The truck they had loaded us on gradually began moving and my journey began there, and I did not know where it would end or if the ending would be a good one for that matter.

……….

We had been traveling for several hours when the truck came to a sudden halt. I had only just dozed off when I was jolted awake by the truck's sudden jerk as it pulled into park. I looked around and noticed a vast number of hairless apes walking around, which came as a shock to me. Had these creatures always been here? They were living among us and we didn't even know it. I couldn't help but watch them with mild fascination. Most of them had fairly dark skin, and some had skin so dark it looked black. Some carried basins of water and others walked with their young along the dirt paths. I noted that some had no hair at all, not even on their heads.

I watched as one small ape suddenly took notice of us and ran up to the truck in excitement. It was a young female, no more than four years of age if I remember correctly. Her clothes were raggedy and she was as skinny as a toothpick, but she still had a lively smile, I remember that.

I backed up in alarm as she tried to push her hand through the bars of the cage. Despite her size, I still feared her. I didn't know what her intentions were. Was she going to hurt me?

She squealed something in her native tongue, which I came to discover was 'Cute monkey!' after I studied the African language for some time. She finally managed to squeeze her tiny hand through the cage bars and she reached as far as she could until the bars came up to her shoulder. I pressed my back firmly against the back of the cage as her hand came within two inches of my reach. A look of despair crossed her face when she realized she couldn't reach me. Looking back on it now, I do feel bad. She only wanted to pet me, but I had no trust for humans then. How was I to know that they all weren't killers?

"Hey, get away from there!" I heard someone shout. I then saw that dreadful ape who had stuffed me in the sack make his way hastily towards the child. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away from the cage roughly. "You stay away from here. No one gave you permission to be over here!"

Frightened and disappointed, the girl turned and fled, leaving me alone with the psychotic ape that kept staring at me with those dark, gleaming eyes. "What're you so scared for?" he asked me as though he expected me to answer. The other monkeys surrounding me started wailing and banging on the cages aggressively. "SHUT UP!" the ape screamed, earning silence from my captured companions in an instant. He turned back to me and cocked an eyebrow, then unlocked the cage. For just a split second I thought he was going to let me go, but I do not know why that thought ever crossed my mind.

He grabbed me by the scruff of the neck…again, which had become quite sore after being grabbed so much, and hauled me out of the cage. He held me up and started turning me around in all directions to the point where I thought I was going to be sick. "Don't even try biting me again," he growled. "Yeah, you look pretty good. Need to work on that attitude though."

"You know, I really wish you hadn't have had us meet here. I hate the looks these people are giving me," a voice that I did not recognize said. "We better make this quick and get out of here otherwise these people might tip off the authorities." The ape holding me let me drop to his side, as though I was some worthless piece of luggage or something, and greeted the other ape. "So, what do you have for me today?"

"Well have a look for yourself," he said.

The other greasy-haired ape walked over to the truck and peered at the monkeys and apes with interest. "Nice catch. I'm surprised you managed to catch this here baby gorilla. It might have made a nice head for the rest of my collection, but it's too young. I would prefer an adult."

"I've got this little guy here, too." The ape held me up for the other to see and gave me a shake.

"Ah, a nice looking chimp. I know of a fella back in America who might pay me a nice price for him. Although," the ape reached out a calloused hand and stroked my fur, making me shudder, "I really like that fur, but..."

"I've got plenty of other monkeys over there you can choose for your fur. C'mon, I ain't got time to stand around,"

"Alright, I'll give you one fifty for 'im."

"One fifty? I hope you're jokin'. Three hundred is the lowest I'll go. You can either take it, or kiss this sweet little chimp goodbye."

"Three hundred? Come on, man. How 'bout two hundred?"

"Three hundred. Take it or leave it."

"Alright, fine."

"Good. You got it. So how you plan to get him back to America?"

"I know a guy here who owns a plane. Told me he'd always be willing to take me wherever I needed to go, whenever."

"Benny? How's that little plane of his supposed to cross the Atlantic in one trip?"

"We take off and head for Venezuela. I have another friend there who's gonna sell me a few Spanish artifacts, and while we're there we'll refuel, then take off and make one last stop in Cuba, and then head for the U.S. Should be about a two day trip. Maybe three."

The human finally took note of me again and sent me a malicious sneer. "Looks like you're going on a little plane ride," he said with a smirk. He tossed me back in that accursed cage and hauled me out of the bed of the truck. "Well, here he is. He's got a bad temper though so watch out for that."

"I'm not gonna be handling the little bugger anyway."

"You interested in anything else?"

"Well, normally I would be but seeing as how you've cleaned me out, then no."

The human grabbed the cage on both sides and picked me up. That was the last I saw of my captors, thankfully, but I then feared what this ape planned to do with me. His expression wasn't really readable, and he didn't look at me often, but I do remember he once looked down at me and muttered a disgruntled, "Animals are such a waste of air."

He carried me for some distance down a narrow dirt path until we reached his car. Where was I going now? I had no idea what this animal planned to do with me. If he really wanted me dead, wouldn't he have killed me by now? I was sick of being stared at, prodded and tossed around. If this ape was really going to kill me, I truly wished he had just gotten it over with. I was terrified, and when you think something horrible is going to happen to you, you can't help but wish it would just hurry up and happen, because waiting for it to happen is twice as unbearable and its enough to make you sick.

I had actually settled down in my cage and fallen asleep before we finally stopped. How I managed to sleep in the state I was in is still a mystery to me. It was early in the morning, and I had not slept the entire night, and it wasn't easy to face the fear of going to sleep and possibly not waking up, but as young as I was it was impossible to ignore my needs.

I was jolted awake as the human grabbed the cage and hauled me out non-too-gently. We had arrived at what looked to be a rundown apartment complex in another small town.

"Swanky, ain't it?" he said as he unlocked the door and carried me inside. From what I remember, the place was a dump. Wallpaper was peeling, glass bottles littered the floor, as well as a wide variety of tattered clothing, and the smell was unbearable. Of course, that could have just been him.

He set me down on a small, round table by the window, or at least I think it was a window, and he turned to pick up the phone. I watched as he quickly began dialing a number. As he placed the receiving end to his ear he looked down at me with disgust. "Tony? Yeah, it's me. Look, I don't want to rack up my phone bill so I'm gonna make this quick. I got a chimp right here with me. You interested? 'Cause if you ain't gonna take him I'm…wait, what?…Oh really?" The human turned to look at me, and he sent me the most evilest smirk I had _ever _seen. "Well, are you sure that's what you want to do? I thought you said you wanted a chimp to promote your business?…Oh, I see. Alright, well I'll be heading out there tomorrow morning. I gotta call Benny and make sure he's good to give me a lift. If things go smoothly I should be there by Thursday. Yeah. Bye."

That smirk had not left the human's face; he looked more satisfied than ever. He approached me with his yellow teeth flashing in a wild grin, while I backed up instinctively as he came to loom over my cage. "Looks like you're going to take part in a scientific experiment. By _being _the experiment," the human said as he cackled madly. "My buddy Tony knows of a university where they're in need of primates for lab testing. I think it's safe to say your luck has just run out, little buddy. Enjoy what little bit of life you have left."

The human gave another, rather idiotic, manic laugh and started dialing the phone again, but I was no longer listening, I was observing. My eyes settled upon the most horrific sight I had ever seen. All along the walls of the room were heads of slaughtered animals. Some animals I recognized, and some I didn't. Some were actually completely intact and posed. A cheetah stood near the corner of the room, its head lowered and ears erect as though it were stalking something, and on top of the fireplace mantel sat a red panda. I had never seen anything like it. At first glance I couldn't tell if these animals were dead or not; I expected these animals to come alive at any given moment, but it was clear to see that there was no life in their eyes. The horrors of what these poor creatures probably had to go through can only be imagined, and I'd rather not think of it.

I think I became most traumatized when I saw the head of the gorilla hanging over the mantel of the fireplace, its mouth parted slightly as though it were cooing its child. I looked away quickly and shielded my eyes from the terrible sight. What was this? It was sick! Rudo was right, these creatures _were _monsters.

"What's the matter? Don't like the way I've decorated?"

I looked up and saw the human looming over my cage again, peering down at me. "You should be envying these animals. Their deaths were quick and painless, but you won't be so lucky."

The human finally left the room. I was thankful to be away from him, but I didn't like the silence that came with his absence. I wasn't used to silence. When I was still living in the jungle there was never any silence, even during the night when most creatures slept; there was always some sort of nocturnal creature that kept the jungle alive.

I wanted to go home.

………

It was early in the evening when I woke up, and I don't even remember falling asleep, but what I do remember is me waking up and calling out to my mother. I know I had been dreaming. What about, I can't really recall, but I was still calling out to her even though I was fully awake at that point. I think for just that one short moment I had forgotten everything that had happened.

I looked around frantically, not recognizing my surroundings. I called out to my mother repeatedly, louder and louder until my vision became distorted from tears. There was a sudden loud crashing sound within the dwelling, and I ceased my crying. When I saw the human stumble out of the bedroom, everything came rushing back and hit me with a mind-blowing impact. I realized with a gut-wrenching fear that my mother couldn't protect me anymore.

The human staggered around, waving some sort of object around in his hand. Let me just say it now--he was drunk, and that object he was waving around in his hand was a gun. I had no idea at the time that those things came in different shapes and sizes, but I'm kind of glad I didn't know. I was terrified enough as it was. I do not think I could have taken on any added terror.

"Shut up, you lil' rat!" He pointed the gun towards me. "Don't make me blow you 'way."

I watched with furrowed brows as the human fell from side to side, muttering what I still believe was gibberish. The sight was actually quite priceless, though I was in no position to find anything remotely humorous.

"Heck, screw Tony. I'll kills ya now," he slurred then held up the gun and pulled the trigger. I jumped as I heard the clicking sound, but no loud popping noise followed. The human looked at the nozzle in confusion. "Wha…?" He had the safety on, that was the problem, but he was obviously too drunk to put two and two together, and so he threw the gun to the floor and stumbled back into the bedroom. I was left alone once more, blinking in confusion. I had no idea what had just happened.

I was still exhausted and so I lay down to try and salvage a bit more sleep. I think it was safe to say that the human had succeeded in passing out; I could hear his loud snoring sounding from the bedroom, and it did not exactly make it easy to fall asleep.

………

Miraculously enough, I must have fallen into a deep sleep, because when I woke it was already morning, and I already had a headache due to the vast amount of sleep I had obtained. I guess sleep had been my best source of salvation I could have hoped to get.

Only seconds later I realized that I was already outside when I smelt the wonderful smell of fresh air.

"You ok, man?"

"Yeah, fine. I just got a headache."

"You look more like you got a hangover."

"Look, is this thing ready to fly or what?"

The human was already prepped and ready to go. Of course I had no idea what was going on, and I was very curious about the large, white object that resembled a bird sitting just a few feet away from us.

"Oh yeah. She's all filled up. Making a delivery?" the human asked as it hitched a thumb towards me.

"Yeah, I got a buyer in America. Says he's going to sell him to a university for lab testing."

"How much is the university offering for it?"

"I don't know, he didn't say. I guess he was worried I might change my mind about selling it to him. Heh. Come on, let's get this show on the road."

The human grabbed the top of my cage and hauled me up. He carried me onto the plane and placed me by the window. Most people like window seats…but this chimp begged to differ. Once the plane started moving I was only slightly agitated. A little movement was no bother to me, though this new object was foreign to me, so I did not know what to expect.

The plane accelerated more and more. I watched the road rushing underneath us with a very overactive stomach, but that wasn't the worst part of the ordeal. When the plane began to lift itself from the ground _that's _when I had a few complaints.

I started wailing. I was off the ground! And we continued to rise, higher and higher still. I wanted down! I ran around the cage in wild fear, banging on the cage bars and trying to tip the cage over. I didn't have to look at the humans to know I was already testing their last nerve.

"Look, you better shut that little thing up, 'cause I ain't got no problem chucking him outa the escape hatch."

"Alright, chill."

The human unbuckled his seatbelt and started making his way towards me, holding on to the seats for balance as the plane had still not leveled out yet. "Look, you little demon, I'm really not in the mood to listen to your squawkin' the whole trip, you hear? Hey! I said shut up!" He reached forward and shook the cage violently. That got my attention. "Now keep quiet!"

I finally settled down and placed myself in a fetal position in the corner of the cage. This seemed to please the human just fine, and he retreated back to the front of the plane. After my heart managed to retain its normal rhythm, I worked up my courage and looked out the window a second time. My stomach flipped flopped.

I laid back down in my corner and pulled the tattered towel that was supposed to serve as a blanket over my head. Where was I going _now_?


	5. Zola

**IV**

…

Zola

…

Keeping quiet for so long was not an easy task. Neither was trying to stay awake. There was no reason for me to want to sleep, I truly wasn't tired but when you're stuck in a tiny, cramped cage with no other choice but to sit still, it's kind of hard to resist. It's kind of like reading a book. It just puts you to sleep.

We had been flying for several hours, though I was not keeping track of time. I just know it had been a long time since I decided to settle down and keep my mouth shut. The humans occasionally shared a conversation but I chose not to listen. I was starting to get antsy and so paced back and forth through the annoying two by three foot cage to give my legs their needed movement, but I needed food more than exercise. I needed _some _source of sustenance. A banana, a leaf, even a stupid termite! I was desperate for something to eat, and it did not make it any easier watching those stupid humans munching on macadamia nuts. But it seemed I had no choice but to ignore the plaguing hunger pains, as well as the continuous grumbles of my stomach. I knew those humans would not so much as offer me a crumb.

I managed to work up my courage and glanced out the small, circular window. Being this high up didn't give my small legs much assurance and so they started trembling almost instantly after taking in the view. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to attempt looking out the window a second time, but I didn't start wailing at least. The view was mesmerizing actually. We were over the ocean at that point, and since I hadn't looked out the window in several hours I wasn't so sure how long it had been since we left land's range. I know seeing a lot of water might not be that fascinating to some, but I had never seen such a vast amount of water before. I never knew so much water could exist. It was beautiful, and the brilliant incandescence of the sun gave it that added luster.

I'm not sure how long I had kept my intensified gaze on the ocean, but when I saw just the tiniest speck of land out of the corner of my eye, I knew that we must have been approaching our destination.

Venezuela.

………

The plane hit ground, which just happened to be a wide, smooth dirt path. Of course 'smooth' couldn't possibly be the appropriate adjective when coming from the point of view of someone actually riding the plane rather than someone watching it land. The landing was very rough, and actually threw me off balance and sent me toppling around in my cage. I thought take off was bad enough, but I think I prefer having my ears pop repeatedly rather than being tossed around like a rag doll.

When the plane gradually came to a stop, I had but just a moment to relax before that stupid human picked me up again.

"Alright, lets hurry up and find Eduardo so we can high tail it out of here."

"Where's he at?"

"God knows."

"Hola!"

I turned my head in the direction of the voice, feasting my eyes on a short, stubby human descending from a small watch tower.

"Hola, señor. Umm…es esto Caracus?"

"Sí, señor, but I speak just fine in English so don't stress yourself. I'm really not in the mood to watch someone butcher the Spanish language."

"I think I said that just fine, thanks."

"Well yes, but I can tell you aren't so sure of yourself, amigo. But yes, this be Caracus."

"See? I told you I knew where I was going," said Benny.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, someone's supposed to be meeting us here, but I don't--oh wait, here he comes. For a minute I thought we were gonna have to walk to Maracay. Listen, we're only going to be here for a few hours and we've got about a gallon's worth of fuel left. Can ya fix that?"

"No problemo."

The car approaching us gradually came to a halt, and a tall, very thin-looking man stepped out, a cigarette nestled between his lips. He glanced at me curiously. "What's with the monkey?"

Ok, seriously, this must stop. I know I have referred to myself as being a monkey, but very rarely do I do this. I am a chimpanzee, and chimpanzees qualify as an ape, not a monkey. Seriously, enough with the informal usage.

"My precious burden. I'm selling him to someone in America."

"What? Not enough room for him on your wall?"

"Yeah, funny. Where're you staying at? We're kind of in a hurry here."

"I've got a place set up outside the hotel I'm staying at. A friend of mine's watching it right now. Get in the car, it ain't far."

Didn't these creatures ever stop to relax for a while? I mean, really.

………

There was a lot of activity going on around me, which was what made me so uncomfortable. There were humans everywhere, running up and down the streets, some on bikes and others with bags of food and other essential goods. I wanted to crawl into a hole every time one of them looked down at me as they passed. One little boy got a certain pleasure out of chucking rocks at my cage, until his mother finally dragged him off by the arm.

I looked over to the accursed human who kept me confined in that stupid contraption. He was still busy getting his hands on anything he thought was worth something.

"It's nice, no?" asked the owner of the artifacts.

"Yeah, I'd love to buy all of 'em, but I spent most of my money buying that there chimp. The guy who sold 'im to me wouldn't let me have 'im cheap, so now I ain't got a lot of money left. Do you even take American money?"

"I take anything, man. I'm all over this giant ball of dirt, so I'm not picky about money. I was even in Botswana this past weekend."

"Botswana? Geez, you _do _get around. Where do you get these things anyway?"

"All over the place. Some I've found, and some I've bought myself. I sold an old clay pot I found in Spain on the internet. Thing sold for four hundred dollars."

When it all came down to it, humans cared about money and nothing else. They would actually waste their money buying something they thought of as useless and then turn right back around and sell it themselves in hopes of getting more than what they paid for. It makes no sense to me. Those artifacts had to be ancient; hundreds of years old. They were a part of history, and should have been displayed in a museum, but instead were being sold left and right, never being allowed to be appreciated for their beauty and wonderful craftsmanship. It amazes me to no end. Sure, I like money myself, to a certain extent, but I certainly do not drool over it like some do, and I would never take for granted something so priceless.

The human tried with what little money he had to get his greedy hands on anything he thought he could make a good profit off of. The display proved very uninteresting very quick, and so I turned my attention elsewhere. Nothing had really changed, people were still walking hastily through the streets, barely even breaking stride to greet others.

"Mono estúpido!"

I shifted my gaze in the direction of the shouting, finding several humans jumping out of the way of something, though I couldn't see what it was. People seemed to be looking down towards the ground as they leapt out of the way. My eyes shot open in surprise when a capuchin (white-face) monkey stepped into a clearing, obviously out of breath from running.

"Watch it!" she yelped as she leapt out of the way of several ongoing humans. She hopped on to an empty crate to catch her breath momentarily. She smiled when she finally took note of me.

"Hey, kid, whatchu doin' in there?"

"I…I really don't know," I replied with a shrug.

She cocked her head curiously. "Who're the goons who put you in that thing?"

I nodded towards the human who was still preoccupied with the artifacts. The monkey curled her lip. "Yeah," she breathed. "He looks brutish enough to imprison a monkey. Hang on, I'll have you out in a second."

I watched with excitement as she worked with the hatch. "I'm surprised you haven't figured this thing out already. It's not that hard. You got opposable thumbs, don't you?" she joked. I felt my face heat up slightly.

"Yeah…but…"

"I'm just funin' with you. The only reason why I know how to open this stupid thing is 'cause I've been stuffed in a few myself. There we go!"

I nearly threw myself out of the cage as I saw the door slowly swing open.

"Than-"

"No time for 'Thank yous'. Come on," she grabbed my hand, "we need to get out of here. I've got a few of those stupid apes on my tail. We need to find a place to hide. Come on, keep up with me, runt!"

"I'm trying!"

I thought for sure that if I stumbled and fell she would resort to literally dragging me along. My tiny legs just were not fit well enough to accomplish long distances at a high speed. I tried pushing myself as hard as I could; I wanted to get away so badly. I didn't know if the humans had already discovered my absence. I knew they would eventually, but I prayed that their pointless desires would buy me more time.

"This is good for now."

I breathed a sigh of relief as we stepped into a littered alleyway and took shelter in a large cardboard box. "Thanks," I said finally, and truly meant it. It felt good to finally be out of that cage. She waved a hand lazily through the air.

"Don't mention it. My name's Zola. What's yours?"

"Jojo."

"You look pretty young. Where's your mom?"

I had a feeling the question would rise. I could only lower my head and look away. She got the hint.

"They killed her, didn't they?"

I nodded my head gravely.

"I see. Look, it happens to a lot of us. You're not alone. Those stupid monsters killed my little sister and captured me and my brother a few years back. It didn't seem so bad when we were together but when we were separated that's when I fell apart. I've had friends who've suffered the same thing you and I have. Those monsters have taken so many innocent lives, destroyed so many families. I hope I see the day when those brutes finally get what's coming to them."

"They took me from my home," I whimpered. I could already feel my bottled up pain beginning to surface, but there was a hint of anger there as well. I had done well to keep it under control, but it had become too hard to sustain. I just wanted to cry, which was something I hadn't had a chance to really do yet, and I don't think I could hold it in any longer. "Why? What did we do wrong? Why do they want to hurt us?"

Finally, I allowed the dam to crumble and I started bawling. "I miss my mama. She said she'd protect me! But now she's gone!"

"You know that's not her fault. I'm sure she did everything she could to protect you."

"It's not fair."

"I know it's not, kid."

It wasn't long after I had started crying that I felt an arm wrap itself around me comfortingly. I had missed the feeling of being secure in someone's tight embrace; the feeling of being safe, and knowing that nothing could possibly hurt me. Desperate for that need of security, I leaned more closely into the embrace, despite knowing that this was someone I had only just met. She gave me a familiar feeling my mother always did. Her fur was soft, like my mother's, and I almost felt as though it was her who held me, but knowing it wasn't actually made my heart wince with pain. I cannot say that Zola's comfort lifted my fears entirely. No, they were still there, and I knew there was no way I could possibly dub myself "safe" right then, and that was proved soon enough.

"Shh, be quiet," Zola whispered. I quickly silenced myself and looked up at her in alarm.

"What is-"

"Shh."

Zola detected something was wrong, I could see it just by studying her facial expressions, and it gave me more reason to believe there was no real opportune time when I could feel safe. The only thing I could do at that moment was dread.

I closed my eyes as Zola pulled me against her chest and slowly leaned forward.

"Do you see anything?" I asked.

"Yeah, looks like someone's been missing ya."

I didn't need to look to know who she was referring to.

"Oh no," I whispered.

"It's alright," Zola reassured. She pulled away from me and closed the flaps of the box, submerging us in total darkness. "Just keep quiet. Maybe they won't be smart enough to look in here."

"Where are you, you little rat?" I heard one of the humans shout. "He couldn't have gotten far."

"It's alright," said Zola as she felt me begin to tremble. The voices sounded so close. I felt if I had so much as breathed too loudly, then they would find us. Well, they found us alright, but it wasn't my heavy breathing that disposed us, it was the yelp I wasn't able to suppress when one of them knocked over a trashcan.

Our box was kicked violently and we went tumbling out and landing in a heap of tangled limbs. We looked up in alarm as the two humans towered over us, looking quite agitated I might add.

"Hey, two for one special," said Benny with the most stupidest grin.

"Hurry and grab both of 'em."

"Time to go, squirt!" Zola shouted as she grasped my arm again and dragged me along just as the two humans began to close in. We once again found ourselves lost in the crowd, dodging people and trying to keep from being trampled to death. We knew those humans were right on our tails as we heard the surprised shouts of people being pushed aside. "You can run faster than that!"

"No, I can't! I'm going as fast as I can!"

"Down this way! I've got an idea!"

I nearly stumbled as Zola made a sharp turn and headed down another alleyway. I forced myself to look behind me and saw that the humans had not let us stray far from their sight; they were only a few feet behind us now. I looked back to Zola. "They're going to catch us!" I yelled.

"No, they're not! Here, you go ahead of me!"

She came to an abrupt halt and practically tossed me ahead of her. I opened my mouth to question her but she yelled for me to keep running. I managed to get only a few feet ahead when I heard the sound of trashcans being knocked over. At that point I looked back to see the priceless sight of the humans stumbling over the fallen trashcans and falling not so gracefully on their faces. Beautiful.

"Ok, lets go while the stupid apes are down!"

She didn't have to tell me twice. We managed to shimmy up a gutter pipe that trailed up a brick building, and took refuge on the roof where we were pretty sure we were safe, for the time being at least. We couldn't stay up there forever after all.

"Nice going, runt," said Zola as she gave me a shove. "They wouldn't have found us if you hadn't of squealed."

"I didn't mean to. It just scared me when I heard that noise."

"Well, whatever. I'm pretty sure those goons can't get us up here, but they'll probably be patrolling the perimeter for a while. We might as well plan on staying up here for a little while before we even think of going anywhere else."

I nodded my head in agreement. I wasn't sure how long Zola intended for us to stay up there, but I had a feeling it was going to be a while, and I knew I'd have a problem with that soon enough. I get antsy when I have to stay in one place for very long. It just drives me crazy. You can probably imagine how much I hate prison.

"What kind of world is this?" I asked after a long, uneasy silence. "Where are all the trees? Where's all the animals?"

"It's a miracle to find a tree around here. They've all been cut down to make room for these things," Zola replied while gesturing to the buildings with her arms. "And animals? Mostly kept in cages. Taken from their homes and families and forced to live a life of misery. I've seen some of our own brethren die a miserable life of solitude and confinement."

"What happened to you?" I asked softly. Zola slowly turned to face me. I wasn't sure how old she was at the time, but her dark expression seemed to add on another ten years to her age. It was easy to see she had suffered like me, but she was older than I, and had obviously seen more devastating things in her day.

"I…really can't remember," she said with a great deal of effort. "I was so young. All I can remember is them shooting my little sister, and then taking me and my brother and stuffing us in a cage. We had all been separated from our mother during all the chaos. I don't even know if she's still alive. I didn't feel quite as scared since I was with my brother. But he was eventually taken away. Ever since then I've been all over the place, escaping and being captured over and over again."

"Do you have nightmares?"

"Sure, kid. All the time. That's what makes it so difficult to block all this stuff from my mind. I've always wanted to forget it, just look to the future and not dwell on the past, but I think about this stuff every day. What about you? What happened to you?"

"They…well…"

"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine. I know how painful it is."

Zola walked over to the roof's edge and lazily gazed over the side, down at the people below. "Look at them. You'd never guess them to be killers just by watching them interact with their own kind. Look at the way they handle their children, and their mates. They look so docile and peaceful, but when you're face to face with them…they become blood thirsty monsters. How can that much hate exist in their hearts? Why do they seem to find so much enjoyment out of watching us suffer?"

I finally took a moment to get a good look at her. The state she was in gave her the appearance that she had seen many summers, but the life in her eyes and voice said different. She was very thin; her ribs protruded slightly and her cheeks were sunken in. She even had a small scar right below her left eye. She had certainly seen horrors that surmounted mine to great heights, but we had both suffered great losses, and understood one another's pain.

I moved closer to her until my shoulder nudged hers. It was hard to read her expression. Her eyes were dark, and her lips were pursed. I couldn't say what kind of thoughts were running through her mind, but I could certainly sense a lot of hatred as she gazed at the humans below. For her, the damage was permanent. She had hated humans all her life and there was just no way anything could possibly heal the wounds, for they were internal and the worst part for her was she would suffer the pain every day of her life.

She finally looked at me and managed to force a smile. "You're sweet, kid. You don't deserve to know such pain." She reached forward and ruffled my fur, but didn't pull her hand away. It rested on top of my head for a moment before she pulled me into a hug. I was caught off guard at first, but I eventually relaxed. Her comfort really did help lift the anxiety.

We must have stayed up there a good hour. Soon Zola had noticed I was holding my stomach.

"Are you hungry?" she asked.

"You have no idea."

"Alright, well let me check around the building and make sure those guys aren't around, then we'll go find something to eat."

---------

We were lucky not to run into the humans as we made our way down the pipe. I knew they hadn't given up the search. We both knew that, and so that was why we had to listen carefully and keep our eyes peeled.

"What are we gonna eat?" I asked.

"Whatever we can find. Like that right there."

Zola pointed to a small fruit cart on the corner, where oranges, mangos, and apples were being sold. The sight made my mouth water, but the human standing next to the cart kind of spoiled my appetite rather quickly.

"How are we going to get near there with that ape standing there?"

"Easy. I'll distract him, and you sneak up there and grab what you can."

I wanted to protest, but Zola was already in action. My eyes widened as she climbed up the human's leg and attached herself to his head, which was quite the sight. Containing my laughter, I went into action myself, doing my best to avoid being stomped on by the human. I climbed up onto the cart and reached for the mangos first. I managed to collect three when Zola yelled for me.

No doubt about it, that human was mad. He missed kicking me clear across the street by about an inch. Luckily, he didn't chase us very far and we managed to race around the corner and into another alleyway.

"What'd you get?"

I revealed the bundle of mangos in my arms and Zola offered a pleased smile. "Alright, good job. We'll split the third one. Woah there!"

I had already taken my mango and almost ate the whole thing in one bite. Three good bites and it was gone.

"I guess you weren't kidding. Ok here," Zola split one of the mangos in half, "take it, just don't take my arm with it."

I stuffed the split mango into my mouth and only chewed but a few seconds before I swallowed it. I then occupied myself with licking the sticky juice from my palms and fingers. It was but a small blessing and I was still hungry. Eating a couple pieces of fruit would not satisfy my hunger after going a day without food. I think it only made me twice as hungry. I was about to ask if we could go back and try to get more when Zola had suddenly pushed me very roughly.

"Why'd you-" My eyes then settled on the three humans approaching us briskly. Obviously these were the humans that Zola had been running from earlier. I then turned my attention over to Zola and saw that she had pushed me out of the way just before the large net ensnared both of us. I quickly rushed forward and tried to chew through the rope with the few teeth that I had.

"Don't be stupid! Just go! I'll be ok!"

"But-"

"Just GO! Hurry, or they'll get you, too!"

"But I-"

"Go on, squirt."

Leaving Zola to those humans was probably one of the hardest things I've ever done. I never saw her again, and can only imagine what might have happened to her. I try to force myself to believe that she escaped and is now living the life I wish I had never been stripped of.

As I fled, I never looked back. I don't think I would have been able to bear it. I probably would have ended up going back to her, and strangely enough, I wish I had, for I hadn't gotten very far before I felt a hand very painfully grasp my neck and haul me into the air to meet very angry eyes. For some reason, these humans loved picking me up by the neck.

"You won't be trying that again," the human said venomously.

Her sacrifice had been in vain. Her effort to save my life and earn me my freedom had only failed, and I only wish I had gone back to her. I probably would have been captured by those other humans, yes, but at least I would not have been alone. Things would have been different for me. Maybe for the better, but then again I could never have really known how things would have turned out.

But a lot of things would be different had I gone back. For one, I wouldn't be sitting in this jail cell, writing this book had I gone back. I wouldn't be here at all, actually. I would never have become Professor Utonium's lab assistant and even the Powerpuff Girls wouldn't be here had I chosen not to flee, and yes I'll get to that eventually because I know you're all very interested now.

"Had yourself a little adventure, did ya? Well, trust me, it's not going to happen again, little buddy."

Despite wanting to kick and scream and do everything to try and escape, I remained motionless as the human started walking. He held me by the neck the entire time, which became unbearable after a few minutes. My eyes had already started welling with tears due to the pain. I saw with a great deal of annoyance that stupid human Benny making his way towards us.

"Hey, you got 'im! Where's his little buddy?"

"I don't know. I was kinda disappointed it wasn't with him, but it was kind of thin anyway. We better get a move on."

The human carried me back to my cage and tossed me in angrily. The idea of simply opening the cage like Zola had done didn't even cross my mind until after I watched the human duck tape it shut.

Accepting my fate never tasted so bitter.

* * *

**A/N: **Yeah, so I decided 'Jojo' was Mojo's original name even before the professor adopted him. I just didn't think it'd be right for him to have a different name, so we'll just say the professor made a very lucky guess XD

I apologize for taking rather long to update. My last three chapters were already typed and ready to go, but this chapter wasn't quite complete and so it took me a little while to finish it. I actually meant to update before Thanksgiving but this week has been pretty much on the go every day, and plus the documents manager wasn't letting me upload my story so that added on to the delay. And I'd just like to say that I'm probably going to be focusing on the next chapter of my other fic, which has been neglected enough. So this story will be on hold for a while.


	6. Another Day, Another Death

**V**

…

Another Day, Another Death

…

It was well into the evening when we had gotten back on the plane and took off again. The trip from Africa to Venezuela had taken at least nine hours, but I can't be sure. However, it did not take us as long to arrive in Cuba. The plan was to refuel and head for America first thing in the morning, and so we ended up spending the night in a hotel. Of course it took a while to actually find a hotel that would allow a caged chimp.

The small bit of satisfaction I got from the mangos was already gone and I was once again fighting hunger pains. I was highly confused when I was given an already peeled banana to eat and a bowel of water.

"I can't afford you dying on me."

Before I started eating the banana, I made a small mental note that the human forgot to tape the cage shut, and as I munched on the soft fruit, I started looking for any escape routes. There weren't any windows, except for a sliding door, which led to a balcony. We had walked up a couple flights of steps so obviously I couldn't just hop over the balcony railing and be standing on soil. I'd have to climb down somehow. I just hoped there was probably a tree I could climb down on.

I watched the humans walk in and out of the room through the sliding, glass door. Sometimes for fresh air I suppose, and sometimes to smoke. I noticed that when one of them came back inside, he left the door cracked slightly. It was perfect. If I didn't know any better, I would have thought they wanted me to escape.

The humans eventually had themselves caught up in some television program, giving me the perfect opportunity to escape. After finishing the banana and chugging the water, I quietly reached my hand through the cage and grasped the hatch. The cage was a bit rusted, so it wasn't easy to slide the hatch out of place, and it was twice as hard to keep from making any noise, but when I finally managed to get the door opened my heart swelled with excitement.

I kept my eyes on the humans and carefully climbed out of the cage and hopped down onto the floor. I had only just started plodding towards the open door when I heard a shout.

"Where you think you're going?"

I quickly raced over to the door and tried to push it open far enough so that I could squeeze out, but the door proved to be much harder to open than I had thought. My small arms shook as I used all the strength I could muster to push the door open, but by the time I finally did get the door open enough, I felt the human grab me and pick me up.

"Think you're smart, don't ya?"

Another reason I was so anxious to escape was because…well, I had to use the bathroom, and I had been holding it in for some time, and drinking an entire bowel of water only added to the problem. And plus, I would have been standing in my own urine had I just relieved myself in the cage. But as the human continued to scold me, I realized that even though I might not have been able to escape, I could still relieve myself.

"AHH! You little rodent!"

The human chucked me a good six feet and I quickly dived under one of the beds, a smile of satisfaction planted on my face. I could hear the other human laughing up a storm. Well, it _was _pretty funny.

"He peed on you! Oh that's great!"

"Shut up and help me get him! He went under the bed."

I scuttled back toward the wall where it was most dark. I could hear them on either side of me, screaming at me to get out from under the bed. I squealed as they both reached under the bed and tried to grab for any part of my body. I ended up biting one of them, which gave me the opportunity to slide out from under the bed and make another break for the door but I was suddenly kicked very roughly and went slamming into the wall.

"Hey, take it easy, man. I don't think Tony'll buy 'im from you if he's dead."

My head had hit the wall pretty hard, and my vision wasn't quite clear as I tried to stand up. It looked as though four humans were approaching me instead of just one, and my chest was in a great deal of pain from where the human had kicked me.

"Get over here."

The human succeeded in picking me up and placing me back in the cage. He didn't forget to tape the cage shut this time, much to my displeasure. I felt like crying again. I thought for sure I could have escaped, but as I thought more and more about it, I eventually saw that there was no way I could have survived on my own, especially since I was in a place I was not familiar with.

"Let me see you try and get out of that. Go ahead, try it."

The human folded his arms and quirked his brow tauntingly. I could only lower my head in defeat.

"Thought so. And I don't want to hear another peep out of you the rest of the night."

What more could I do? Once I saw the human close the door and lock it I knew I was stuck. The only thing I could do was lie down in my cage and try to sleep. I was tired anyway, but it wasn't a peaceful sleep; I continuously dreamt of my mother.

………

By the time I woke up the next morning we were already on the plane again. I was obviously more tired than I had thought. I would have thought the motion of being picked up would have woken me up. I didn't feel like myself though; I had been sleeping a lot more than normal. I know I was young and needed a lot of sleep but this was just a little too much. I mean, I could not stay awake for more than a few hours before I felt like sleeping again. I'm sure depression had something to do with it.

I think the effects of not having my mother there with me were already arising. I felt nauseated and weak and it was only a matter of time before malnutrition took a turn for the worst but I think me drinking that bowl of water the previous night helped stall dehydration at least.

Glancing out the window, I saw that the plane was already over land. I didn't think I slept _that _long. I wondered how long it would be before we reached our next destination. All this traveling really had my nerves in a twist.

"What's the name of this place again?" asked Benny.

"Townsville."

"How far is it on the map?"

"We still got about an hour's more of flying."

The plane was rather low to the ground. I could actually make out moving cars and even people, although they looked like little specs. What came as a shock to me was I saw next to no land at all. There would be patches of it here and there and then nothing but highways, buildings, and cars. This was a world unlike no other.

"I might as well go ahead and call up Tony," the human said as he pulled out his cell phone. "I'll tell him to meet us at the air port. Wait…can I get a signal up here?"

"Watch you asking me for? I don't know. You should."

The human suddenly turned to look at me. "Enjoy your new life, little buddy," he sneered.

………

I think I had kind of zoned out once we made it to the airport. I really can't recall if other things were on my mind and were producing a mental block to what was going on around me, or if it had something to do with an arising illness, but by the time I had finally come out of it, I realized that a new human was now carrying me and stuffing me into his car.

"You know, I guess I can call you my little sugar monkey. Get it? Sugar monkey? 'Cause you're gonna make me money and you're a monkey, so…ah forget it. You don't know what I'm sayin'."

What a moron.

………

As the human carried me into the university, many eyes came to settle upon me as other humans walked past us at a fast pace. The building was huge, and was kept lit with many florescent lights. I'm not sure why, but for some reason I found a particular interest in the floor. I mean, it was so shiny I could see myself. For a moment I actually thought we were walking on water, seeing as though the tile the floor was made of was a fine polished blue color.

"Excuse me, where can I find Professor Newman?" the human asked a student.

"Head down that hallway right there, take the number three stairwell up to the next level. He's in room two twenty-six."

"Thank you."

When we finally did arrive in front of the professor's door, I felt a heavy lump form in my throat. I had a feeling that whatever my fate was, I was about to meet it head on, and my legs suddenly turned to jello once the door slowly opened.

"Hello, Professor Newman?"

"Yes, can I help you?"

"Well, I heard you needed a chimp for the lab," the human responded and then proceeded to hold me up for the other to see.

"Bring him into my class."

The human set my cage down on a desk and stepped back to let the professor get a better look at me. He barely had to look me over before he shot the other human a disapproving glare.

"Where did you get this chimp?"

"A guy sold him to me. Why?"

"This chimp can't be no more than a year old. Don't tell me he was captured by poachers."

"Well, if he was, so what? I mean, I don't know where that thing came from. For all I know, he may have originally been captured as part of the Bushmeat Trade."

"Oh that's a lovely thought. Look, there's no way anyone can capture a chimp this young without killing the mother. I'm sorry, but I don't accept any chimps under the age of seven years old."

"Seven? That's a bit old don't you think?"

"Old? Heavens, no. This isn't a dog we're talking about here. At age seven, chimpanzees are old enough to be away from their mothers. They hit puberty around this age."

"Well, whatever. What's the big deal?"

"I prefer animals to be captured legally."

"You know, that's is kind of strange coming from someone who makes a living out of killing animals," the human said with a satisfied grin. The professor didn't take too kindly to those words.

"Look here, I'm not going to argue that some people approve of what I do, because they don't, but what I do is different. We perform lab tests on animals for the sake of making better vaccines for diseases. It's a sacrifice that has to be made for the better of humankind."

I'm just going to avoid going into detail about how much those words infuriate me. Maybe it _is _an entirely different matter, but if you were in my shoes, I highly doubt you would feel the same.

"Whatever."

The professor opened my cage and reached in to pick me up. There was not much I could do to resist, though I did try to fight him when he took hold of my chin and forced my mouth open to prod my teeth.

"What the heck are you doing?"

"I'm just checking his condition. Ordinarily, poachers will smash a baby chimp's teeth in so they can't bite, but it looks like all his teeth are intact, which is good. And it looks like his stomach isn't swollen."

"What's a swollen belly mean?"

"It's usually a sign of malnutrition. Well wait a minute, what's this?" the professor asked as he poked my bruised chest.

"Heck if I know. I didn't do that, I just got him. My buddy who had him before me probably hit him or something, I don't know."

"Well, this chimp's surprisingly in good condition, but I'm guessing he hasn't been separated from his mother that long. Maybe a day or two, but that's usually how long a baby primate has before they start having diarrhea or suffer from malnutrition due to separation. This guy's obviously pretty strong for his age."

"Well look, are you going to buy him or not? I mean, if he's got no mother, then you sure as heck can't return him to the wild, and I know I could always make use of him."

The professor placed me back into the cage, and I watched the two humans continue their conversing, wondering what they were planning to do with me now.

"Fine, I'll take him," the professor finally said, gritting his teeth. He pulled a checkbook out of his desk drawer and argued with the other human over a reasonable price to pay for me. Once they had come to an agreement, the other human left, leaving me with the professor. He looked at me with what looked to be pity and then picked up my cage and headed out of the classroom, closing the door behind him. He carried me down a stuffy stairwell and into a large laboratory.

"Might as well put you in a bigger cage."

As the professor prepared a new cage for me, I allowed myself to get a better look at my new surroundings. The lab was big, as I had mentioned, and it was kept lit with fluorescent lights, rather than natural light. Of course that was not what really got my attention. Animals of many kinds sat in cages, all looking at me with pity. There were mice, dogs, cats, rabbits, and even other primates. They all looked ill, weak, and utterly helpless. I was completely horrified, and the looks they all were giving me frightened me even more. They all looked at me with sadness, and some ended up turning away, knowing that I would soon end up looking like them--frail and on the verge of death.

I jumped slightly when my cage was opened and a hand reached in to pick me up.

"Alright, here you go," the human said as he pulled me out and then placed me in the new cage. It _was _larger, but it was still a cage; a prison.

I pathetically slumped into a corner and tried as hard as I could to avoid the lifeless eyes of the other animals. I cannot stand it when anyone looked at me like that, or any way for that matter. It was a highly uncomfortable feeling and made me very shifty.

"You shouldn't be here, kid," someone next to me said in a raspy voice. I curiously glanced up and looked to the cage next to me. I met the eyes of a macaque, who looked to be quite aged and quite possibly the most sickly looking of all the other animals.

"I don't want to be here," I responded quietly.

"None of us do, kiddo. We were all forced to come here against our will. But you, you're too young. That ain't right. You should be back in the jungle with your mama."

"They killed her," I whispered. The macaque turned around completely to get a better look at me. I could see a flicker of sadness in his eyes.

"I know what that's like," he said with a heavy voice.

"What's your name?" I asked suddenly.

"Kashka. Yours?"

"Jojo."

"Well, Jojo, you certainly look like a tough little tike."

I arched an eyebrow at the comment. I certainly never thought of myself as being tough. At least not then. "What makes you say that?" I asked.

"Well, in my time, I haven't seen many young apes and monkeys make it on their own for very long without a mother. Forgive me for asking, but how long ago was it when she was killed?"

I lowered my gaze, hardly noticing that my vision began to blur, but not by tears. "A couple…a couple of daysss…ag…"

"Kid, are you alright? Hey? Jojo?"

Kashka had obviously spoken too soon about me being oh so tough, for I was suddenly overcome by nausea and within seconds threw up everywhere and then collapsed seconds later, though I was still semi-conscious. I could hear Kashka's voice, but I could hardly make out what he was saying. My head rolled around for several seconds before I felt a hand grasp my arm. Out of fear, I jumped up and bit the hand as hard as I could. The professor yelped and quickly pulled his hand back, muttering a, "You're a mean little thing" through gritted teeth. After grabbing a dry washcloth and wiping his hand clean of the blood, he added a sympathetic, "Well, I guess that's not entirely your fault."

"Hey, kid, what's with you?" Kashka asked.

I leaned myself against the back of the cage and put a hand to my forehead. "I don't know. I just felt really sick all of a sudden. I've been feeling weird all day," I replied weakly. My vision still looked distorted, and I couldn't tell where the professor had gone. I couldn't really hear properly either. It almost sounded as though Kashka was talking to me through a glass tank.

The professor returned moments later to clean the cage of my regurgitation.

"I'm hungry," I said, though I surprised myself by saying this. As sick as I felt, I was amazed the thought of eating something did not give me the urge to throw up a second time.

"Well you sure look it," Kashka replied with a chuckle.

As though on cue, the professor reached in and pulled me out of the cage. I couldn't really make out what he was doing, but I felt him hold me in one arm and then felt something nudge my lips. When I tasted the familiar taste of warm milk my eyes shot open, and I grasped the bottle firmly and pulled it further into my mouth. The professor actually had to pull the bottle away from me several times since I was drinking so fast. I finished the bottle in a matter of minutes, quickly finding myself with a case of hiccups, but I felt so much better.

When I was placed back into the cage I saw that Kashka was laughing.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, I just got a kick out of you biting that ape. You've got stuff, kid."

"Haven't you bitten him before?"

"Oh sure, plenty of times, but it gets kind of boring after a few years."

My eyes widened in shock. "Years? You've really been here that long?"

Kashka nodded grimly. "Yeah. I can't even remember what I was doing when they captured me. I didn't have a family or anything, I was a loner. I guess that's what made me an easy target. I've been here so long sometimes I wish I would just hurry up and die. They've stuck me with so many needles that I've lost count. I don't even want to know what I've got coursing through my veins, and I'm not the only one who has to go through it. Sometimes I think the ones who die are the real lucky ones."

"Are…are they going to do that to me?"

Kashka didn't answer, but his silence was plenty of an answer to me.

"Why did he feed me if he's just going to kill me?"

"Well, they've got to keep us alive for whatever it is they're doing. I've seen enough of this to know that they're not trying to kill us. If that were true then they'd just pull out one of those fire stick things and kill us where we stand. Then again, maybe they just like to torture us. Maybe they get a kick out of letting us roll to the edge of death, then give us enough food to keep us alive a little longer."

"But why?"

"I wish I knew."

"Yeah, that's right, they gonna stick ya. Yeah, yeah, yeah, and they gonna torture ya! Yeah, yeah, yeah," said a new voice. I looked to the cage sitting on the table across from mine and saw a very psychotic-looking squirrel monkey looking at me with crazy eyes. It was a wonder he was not foaming at the mouth.

"Don't pay any attention to him, kid," said Kashka. "That's just Gero. He always talks like that whenever someone new is brought in."

"What's wrong with him?"

"I don't know. He wasn't like that when he first came here. We think those apes might have injected him with something that just made him go crazy. That, or it's just possible he's gone nuts from just being stuck in here altogether. He's only been here a few months though."

"Gonna kill ya! They gonna kills ya! WOO HOO!"

"He's scaring me."

"Look, the best thing you can do is ignore him. He'll tire himself out after a while and pass out."

"Gonna kill ya! La la la, they gonna kill ya!"

I just did what Kashka had advised and turned my back to the crazy monkey. I noticed a bowl of fruit had been placed into my cage and so I occupied myself with that while the squirrel monkey went on and on in sing song about how I was going to be tortured. I hoped he would shut up like Kashka said he would, but he eventually got fed up with just singing to my back and starting throwing pieces of fruit at my cage.

"Hey, stupy chimpy! I'm a talkin' to ya!"

"That's enough, Gero. Go lie down."

"You can't tell me what to do, old timer!" the monkey shouted, and then strangely went to the corner of his cage and collapsed.

"That made absolutely no sense," I said.

"Well, Gero never makes sense. You tell him to do something, and he'll either do just the opposite or say he won't do it, and then does it anyway."

I noticed seconds later that Kashka's face had begun to sweat, and he looked about how I felt when I had been sick moments ago.

"Are you okay?" I asked.

Kashka nodded. "Yeah, kid I'm fine. They stuck me with something yesterday. I guess it's just having a delayed effect. I'll sometimes get sick after injections. It's nothing to worry about. I'm just going to lie down for a while."

After I had my fill of fruit, I too went to lie down. I wrapped myself up in the blanket that had been placed into my cage and shut my eyes. Though it took a while to actually finally fall asleep. My body had had enough sleep already, but what more was there to do?

………

I awoke the next morning to the sound of singing, very bad singing actually.

"He's deeeaaad, he's deeeeaaad, oooh weee oooh, he's dead!"

It was Gero again. He was hanging upside down in his cage and swinging around by his tail as he sung. I quickly turned to Kashka, only to see that he was still asleep. Or so I thought. I reached through my cage and towards his. My fingertips just barely brushed his arm. "Kashka? Are you awake?"

"No he ain't awake, stupid!" Gero shouted happily. "He's gone! Long gone and ain't never waking up! He dead! Dead, dead, dead! Hey ho, he's dead!"

"SHUT UP!" I screamed. Well, somebody had to say it.

I tried banging on Kashka's cage, but he would not wake. He was still and did not appear to be breathing either; there was no rise or fall of the chest. Apparently, he was more sick than he had thought and must have perished in the night. I didn't know him well, but I still felt torn. It was like with Zola. Though I had not known her, she still offered a sake of comfort and companionship, and that was just what Kashka had done, if just for a moment. But Kashka had wanted to die, so I guess he finally got his wish.

I retreated back to my corner and hid myself in the blankets, fighting back tears. How many more lives were to be destroyed at the hands of humans before it was put to a stop? Why did it seem that our only purpose in life was to walk a knife's edge between life and death? The only question that remained was how long would it be before I, too, faced my demise?

I heard the door open, but I did not bother to reveal myself from the blanket. I heard the human mutter a soft, "Damn" when he came to discover Kashka's corpse. I kept myself under the covers as the professor removed Kashka from his cage. When everything was silent for a good stretch of time, I peeked my head out from under the covers and looked around. My eyes settled upon Gero, who was sitting in the center of his cage, legs folded and hands on his knees. His eyes were locked with mine.

"And they're gonna get you, too," he said darkly.

I quickly threw the covers back over my head and curled into a ball.

Professor Newman returned about twenty minutes later. I could hear him moving things around in the cabinets, but I did not pull myself out of my position. When I heard the door open again I thought that he had stepped out, but it seemed someone new had stepped in.

"Ah, Professor Utonium. It's good to see you."

* * *

**A/N: **Well, I tried working on my other fic like I said I would, but it didn't quite work as well as I'd hoped. I kept finding myself pulling out this fic and working on it when I became too frustrated with my other one. I made a promise to myself that I'd work on the other fic the day I got out for Christmas break, but then my dad died and so this Christmas break has been very difficult and busy. We ended up having to leave for Tennessee for the funeral. I really didn't think I'd be able to keep writing fan fiction for a while, but right now it's the only thing that's keeping my mind off everything. 


	7. Life With the Professor

**VI**

…

Life With the Professor

…

I revealed myself from the blankets just enough so that I could see what was going on. A new human had entered the lab and was carrying a large box in his hands.

"I really appreciate this," said Professor Newman as he took the box. "Beakers aren't exactly cheap, and my students aren't exactly careful."

"It's no problem, really."

"You're sure you don't want me to pay you? I'd be happy to."

"I already told you -- no. It's no problem."

Professor Newman busied himself with removing the beakers from the box and setting them up in the open cabinets. The other human, Professor Utonium, was busy gazing at all the animals with a look of mild pity.

"I know it's for the better of humankind," he began, "but the idea of sacrificing animals for our own gain has never really appealed to me. They're living things after all."

"Doesn't appeal to _you_? Heck, I'm the one who has to do it. Sometimes it gets to me, too. Especially when the animals end up dying in the process. Bo died this morning."

"You're kidding me. Didn't you have him for three years?"

"Yep. I was beginning to think he was indestructible."

'Bo' had obviously been the name that was given to Kashka. I have never understood why humans would name their test subjects. I mean, 'Subject Number 1' or ' Subject Number 2' would be one thing, but an actual name like you would name your own offspring? It just always threw me off.

Professor Utonium suddenly took notice of me. He cocked his head to the side curiously and then started making his way towards my cage. The blanket had slipped from my shoulders, revealing myself entirely. There was no use hiding under it again since he had already seen me, so instead I backed up as far as I could go into one of the corners.

"When did you get a chimp?"

"Someone sold him to me yesterday."

The Professor tapped his chin, then leaned forward to get a better look at me. "He's a bit young, wouldn't you say?"

"Tell me about it. I almost didn't take him, but I need a chimp. Chimps are the best species we can test on. Their DNA is ninety-eight percent identical to ours."

"Well, yeah, but…he's just a baby."

"Well, I didn't plan on performing any tests on him right this second. That'd be too risky. For the next two months or so I'm planning on just nursing him back to health and monitoring him for a while. I don't want to take any chances on him dying before I can even do anything with him."

Professor Utonium this time tried to stick a finger through my cage. He made a clicking sound with his tongue, obviously trying to persuade me to come over to him. That was just not going to happen. I revealed my teeth to him and bared them as hard as I could. He pulled back instantly.

"Eesh, that's a face," he said. The other human chuckled.

"Yeah, and he's not funning with you either. Get a load of this." Professor Newman held up his thumb, which was wrapped in bandages. The other man winced.

"Ouch."

"Yeah, ouch. But I can hardly blame him."

Professor Utonium looked at me again, and this time he smiled. "You know what?" he started. "I read a book last year about how chimpanzees can be trained to be lab assistants."

Professor Newman busted into a fit of laughter, which quickly caused Professor Utonium's smile to fade. "What?" he said. "You don't think it's possible?"

"No, it's not that. I know how intelligent chimpanzees are, but the idea of it…It's just so bizarre." The professor suddenly stopped his laughter and looked at the other man. "Wait a minute, you're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?"

Professor Utonium crossed his arms, smirking. "Why not? It's something I've always wanted to try ever since I read that book. I can give him a fair shot at a happy life, rather than living a short life in a cold cage."

Professor Newman heaved a sigh. "Look, I really need him. It's been nearly impossible to get a chimp this past year."

"How come?"

"Because I stopped accepting females over a year ago. The chances of capturing a pregnant female or one that has already birthed were just too high, and so I only accept males now. But do you know how difficult it is to get a hold of a male chimp? Those things can be pretty vicious if you get too close, especially if you get too close to the alpha male of the group. This little guy's the first that's come to me in so long. I'm just desperate."

"Oh, come on, have a heart."

"Don't put that guilt on me, Utonium."

"Do you really need him that badly? Do you really want to keep him? You sounded like you didn't to begin with"

"You're not going to drop this until I say 'yes', are you?"

"You tell me."

"Alright, alright, fine. How much do you know about chimps?"

"I'm not an expert."

"Alright, well this one's only about a year old, so he's gonna need a lot of attention for a while. Basically, it's gonna be like having a human child around the house. And him being so young, he's gonna need to be bottle fed. Chimps don't even start weaning until the age of three. He's gonna need to be bottle fed about every three hours. Some solid foods are ok, though. They like mainly fruits, but they'll eat a variety of nuts and leaves, but I'd stick with fruits for now."

Professor Newman retrieved a cylinder container from the counter. "This is Enfamil. It's used to make human baby formula but it works just as well for chimps."

"How much do you want for him?"

"Hey, you didn't charge me for the beakers, so I won't charge you for the chimp."

"Well, you can't exactly compare beakers to a monkey," Professor Utonium laughed.

"True, but you _are _an old student of mine, and one of my favorites."

Professor Newman lifted my cage and held me out to Professor Utonium. "He's all yours."

………

The Professor carried me through the door and sat me down on the coffee table in front of the couch. "Well, here it is. It's not too fancy, but it works." He bent down and opened my cage, and then tried to reach in to pick me up, but I retreated back to the corner, grasping the bars with both my hands as tight as I could. "Ok, maybe we'll try that later," he said and then closed the cage.

I was carried upstairs to his bedroom and placed on the floor. I watched with mild curiosity as the Professor walked over to his bookshelf and started searching, tapping his chin as his eyes roamed the books. Finding the book he had been looking for, he pulled it from the shelf and then sat down on his bed. He opened the book towards the middle and started flipping through the pages at a fast pace. I had no idea what he was doing, but the sound of the pages being turned every two seconds was starting to get on my nerves.

"Ah, here it is," he said and turned the book to where I could see. There on the left page was a black and white picture of a chimpanzee…in a lab coat. "This is Joe. He was the first chimpanzee to ever become a lab assistant. Hmm, maybe that's a name for you -- Joe." The Professor thought it over for a moment and then frowned. "Well, I don't know. Maybe that wouldn't be right, taking the name of a famous chimp. But people name their children and pets after idols all the time. Let's see…Ok, I got it. I'll just take off the 'e' and add another 'jo' in there and there you go. Jojo. That works, doesn't it?"

Amazing, isn't it? The fact that he named me Jojo, the actual name given to me at birth, still boggles my mind.

"They started training Joe when he was just about your age, and he remained a lab assistant for thirty years. Can you believe that?"

I never understood why he kept talking to me like I could actually understand him. I wish I had been able to understand him, though, because again, I had absolutely no idea what he was planning to do with me. Well, actually I had a few ideas, but all the traveling around was what had me scratching my head at that moment. After what Kashka had told me, I figured I would have been in that lab for the rest of my life, but then when Professor Utonium came around and took me away, I was left in a state of confusion. The constant up and going did not bode well for my nerves, as I am sure I mentioned before. I was sick of it. I never stayed in one place for very long, and before I knew it, I was up and moving again. But after being in that lab, and hearing what went on in it, I had no idea whether I should have felt relieved or twice as frightened at that point.

Every human I had been in the presence of before Professor Utonium made a living out of killing, for one reason or another. Why should I have expected anything less from Professor Utonium? I had no reason to trust him. My trust was already so far gone, there was almost no way of restoring it. It might have only taken days to destroy it, but it would take a lot longer to gain it all back. As I stated earlier, trust is a very fragile thing. One little slip, and it shatters.

………

My first day at the Utonium residence was a bit edgy but passed by easily. Sure, I fought the Professor every time he tried to feed me. I think I was starting to get a personal enjoyment out of giving him trouble.

I was kept in his bedroom the fist night, but only for a short period of time and then it was out in the hallway for the time being seeing as how he couldn't get any sleep with all the racket I was making in my cage. He almost decided on keeping me in the lab but then quickly decided against it since he was afraid I may escape and get my hands on some dangerous chemicals. He decided to keep me in the family room, against the wall by the couch.

It was raining that night, and the pitter patter of the rain hitting the windows was very soothing to my ears. The thunder? Not so soothing, but I eventually grew used to it. It didn't seem quite as scary when I was sheltered completely from the outside, and I learned that thunder always follows lightening, which gave me a quick warning to cover my ears. I never learned this back in the jungle because I was far too busy burying my face in my mother's chest. I always hated thunderstorms.

As the thunder became more and more distant, there was nothing left but the rain, and maybe a flash of lightening here and there. The rain eventually soothed me to sleep.

When I woke the next morning, it was to the smell of coffee, a smell I had never smelled before. I sat up and saw the Professor sitting on the couch a few feet away, the morning paper shielding his face. After a moment he folded it up and placed it on the table in front of him. Seeing me awake, he smiled.

"Well, good morning. Looks like we got a little rain last night, huh?"

There he went again, talking to me like I could understand him.

"Well, I guess it's time to feed you."

I did not fight him that time, though I'm not entirely sure why. I guess I was not fully awake yet. Or maybe I was just too hungry to protest. I allowed him to reach into the cage and pick me up without so much as a snarl.

"Well, that's better. I thought you were going to give me trouble."

I _was _pretty hungry, but I did not practically eat the entire bottle that time when it was offered to me. I drank with ease and only finished about half of the bottle. The formula had been heated just right, and almost instantly after finishing I felt like sleeping again.

The Professor brought me over to couch and sat down, setting me on his lap. He leaned forward and opened the paper back up to the middle section. "Look at this: "Fuzzy Lumpkins Terrorizes Group of Teenagers." It says they had been wandering through the woods when they heard gunshots. I swear, it gets worse and worse every day. If it's not Fuzzy, then it's the Gangrene Gang taking someone's purse or wallet. What's this world coming to?"

I was hardly listening to him. I was more interested in that cup of coffee that still sat on the table. I managed to lean forward and grasp the handle with two fingers, and I lifted it to where I could get a closer look at what was inside. I was surprised that the liquid in the cup was solid black, but it still smelled so good. I tipped the cup and downed the liquid.

"No! No, no, Jojo! You don't drink that!" The Professor grabbed the cup and pulled it away quickly. "You don't need to drink coffee. You'll be bouncing off the walls."

Oh, I didn't plan on drinking it ever again. That stuff was _horrible. _How anyone could drink that stuff was a mystery to me.

The Professor cleaned my face with a napkin and then placed me back in my cage. He retreated to the kitchen, and then several minutes later returned with a bowl of neatly diced fruits. That kept me occupied for a while.

After finishing the fruit I busied myself with just watching the Professor's every move, which got boring after a while since he mainly remained sitting on the couch, only getting up to get more coffee. But then after a while he looked at me and said, "Why don't I show you the lab?"

He removed me from the cage and started heading across the living room and towards a closed door. He flipped a light switch and instantly I was blinded. I still didn't understand why these apes liked to confine themselves away from the outside world, away from the sky and trees and fresh air. And then they blinded themselves with these bright, unnatural lights. It made absolutely no sense to me, but I guess that would be a bit hypocritical of me, wouldn't it? After all, my observatory is just the same.

"Well, here it is. This is where I do all my experiments. Hopefully pretty soon I can start training you to help me."

I looked around fearfully, thinking of only the worst that I thought for sure was still to come. His lab really did not look too different from Professor Newman's. The only difference here was there were no animals shivering in cages, but the beakers and test tubes were oblivious to me; all I saw in that lab was my own death.

"Yep. I know this is going to be great."

That's what he thought.

………

The next day started out normal. I woke up, the Professor came in, fed me and then walked off to read his newspaper. But then after he was done, he left the house. Had he run away? He was gone for about an hour, and when he finally returned, he came in with a plastic bag in one hand. I could hear him removing the bag's contents from the kitchen and this forced me out of my little spot in the corner, and towards the front of the cage. When I saw him come out of the kitchen and head towards me I started to feel a little uneasy and so started backing up into the corner. He had something in his hand, and I had no idea what it was.

"Come on, Jojo. No, don't do that," he said as he tried to loosen my firm grip on the cage bars. He finally managed to get me out of the cage but I still tried putting up a fight and ended up trying to climb over his shoulder. "Stop that, Jojo! No!" He sat me down in front of him and pointed his finger at me. "No!" he repeated. This might sound funny, but during the time I spent living with the Professor, I was so used to hearing the word, "No" that I actually thought that was my new name.

I saw the Professor unfold the object that he had been carrying. I could only watch in confusion as he strapped it around my waist, and then grinned when it fit perfectly.

A diaper. It was a diaper for crying out loud. Either he thought it was cute, or it was a safety precaution, if you know what I mean.

"It fits perfectly," he said happily. I gave him my best 'You've got to be kidding me' look and quickly slipped the horrible thing off and threw it as far as I could.

"Oh, Jojo, don't do that. Come on now."

The Professor got up to retrieve the diaper, and I took that opportunity to bolt.

"Hey, wait a minute! Get back here!"

I had no idea where I was going, but if this human had in store for me what I thought he did, then I was not going to stick around. Of course, I was having trouble figuring out what that had to do with strapping a squishy feeling object around my waist.

I found a room with an open window and went for it, but I only made it half way before two hands grabbed me around the stomach and hoisted me up. "I don't think so, Mister." The Professor carried me out of the room and remembered to shut the door. Out of anger, I reached up and yanked his hair. "OW! Jojo-OW! Stop it! That hurts!"

He brought me back into the living room and tried once again to strap the diaper to my waist. This time I slipped it off and threw it in his face. He managed to grab my arm before I made another dash. "We can do this all day if you want."

We almost did, actually. I think I must have kept removing that diaper for a full hour before I finally gave up trying. That thing felt absolutely ridiculous. I hated it with a passion! It made too much noise every time I moved, and especially when I sat down.

Wearing that diaper only resorted in more confusion for me. What was the point of wearing that horrible contraption? I was still curious as to when this human was planning to kill me…or _if _he was going to kill me. But what reason was there to think otherwise?

I figured wearing that thing was just a form of humiliation. I did not know how these creatures got their every kick. I knew ruthless slaughtering was probably only one of the few things they liked doing. Then there was torture, which was what Kashka had suffered, and Zola, too. Humiliation made sense to me, and so I figured that was what Professor Utonium was doing to me. Sure, I preferred that over torture or slaughter, but hey, how was I to know I was not still in store for that?

………

A week had passed and the Professor still had not done anything to harm me. I began to wonder if he was trying to gain my trust and then planned on turning on me once I let my guard down. Well, I was not planning on letting that happen.

He actually bought me a harness, which had a leash attached to a hook. He kept it hooked to a heavy weight and kept it in the center of the living room. He carefully placed it so that I was out of reach of anything breakable. Every day he would let me out of my cage and strap on the harness. The weight it was tied to really _was_ heavy. I'm not kidding. Every time I tried to make a run for it I would end up being jerked back a good three feet, the weight barely moving from its spot. The Professor would laugh every time.

"Keep trying it. You're not going anywhere."

I eventually gave up. It seemed as though I really wasn't going anywhere and so I decided to just sit myself on the floor, try to ignore the discomfort of the diaper, and fiddle with one of the toys the Professor had given me -- a stuffed clown. Really, the only reason why I kept "playing" with it was because it had something inside of it that kept rattling and it was driving me crazy. I wanted to know what it was. I eventually lost interest in it, though, after hearing a new sound.

I looked up at the large square-shaped object at the opposite end of the room. You can imagine how strange a television set was to me since I had never seen one before. Well, from the front anyway. Seeing the moving pictures and hearing the sound that was produced from the box had me staring wide-eyed. I had no knowledge of electronics, so I honestly thought those humans were inside that box.

I slowly approached the foreign object and touched the screen with my finger. I felt a zap of static and quickly pulled my finger back out of surprise. I tried touching the screen again only to get the same results. I narrowed my eyes and smacked the screen out of annoyance. The Professor was obviously getting a kick out of it; I could hear him laughing from behind. He started turning the channels, and I jumped every time a new picture was shown. He eventually let the channel come to rest on some sort of hunting program, and then got up to take a shower.

I really wished he had just turned the TV off. Two hunters were talking into the camera, and I thought for a moment that they were actually talking to me. They stepped into a large cabin, and in that cabin were walls decorated with the slaughtered heads of deer, but that was not all there was. Taking a closer look, I could see foxes and raccoons, completely intact, stuffed and displayed on shelves and on the fireplace mantle. Once the humans were done showing off all the animals they had killed, they then turned to a large glass case which held the weapons they had used to kill them with -- guns. That had done it for me. I got up and started banging on the TV, trying to find some way to turn it off. One of my fists eventually found the 'Power' button and the TV shut off instantly.

Why? I still failed to understand. Why was killing so enjoyable to humans? Did they think we did not feel any amounts of pain? Did they think we did not bleed? Did they think we could not feel in every sense of the word itself?

I must have sat there, asking myself these questions for a good deal of time because the Professor had returned from his shower and was kneeling beside me. I jumped when I felt him place a hand on my back.

"Are you cold? Why are you shivering?"

He tried to pick me up, but I was trying as hard as I could to get away from him.

"Come on, Jojo. Come on now."

He eventually resorted to grabbing my leash and reeling me in like a fish. Once he had a hold of me, he unhooked the harness and placed me back in the cage, eying me with furrowed brows. I grabbed a piece of apple and hid under one of the blankets. It was the next best thing to being invisible.

………

The day my training began was a day unlike any other. When the Professor had brought me down into the lab, _that's _when I really started to squirm. I was sure he was going to do to me like that other human had done to Kashka.

"No, no, Jojo. No -- ACK! Jojo, stop pulling my hair. OW! Jojo, that's enough!"

I eventually managed to tear myself out of his grasp, but unfortunately for me he had already taken precautions and had strapped the harness and leash on incase I attempted to make any escapes. Unlike the other humans I had been in contact with, this human was smart.

"This is going to be a long day," the Professor muttered. "Ok, Jojo, lets just start with learning the equipment, ok?" He picked up a large, elongated cylinder. "This is a graduated cylinder." He picked up a very odd looking object with a wide base. "This is a Florence flask."

He must have went through every little piece of equipment he had, and it took a good twenty minutes to go through it all. He then went through and repeated all of the equipment's names, and he did _that _for another twenty minutes, too. After that he took me back upstairs to feed me, and then brought me back down to the lab for another session of memorizing chemistry equipment.

Each day was about the same for the next three days. It was all about memorizing the equipment. And then came the day for me to identify the equipment on my own. The Professor sat me on the floor, and sat out three pieces of equipment in front of me.

"Alright, Jojo. Erlenmeyer flask. Which one's the Erlenmeyer flask?"

I didn't know what he had said, but I recognized that word, 'Erlenmeyer' and which object it was associated with. I placed my hand on the middle object and the Professor smiled.

"Excellent, Jojo, excellent."

I picked up the flask and flung it towards him.

"WOAH! Not so excellent! Ah! Jojo, no! No, don't throw that! I only have three more of those!"

My little destruction rampage had not lasted long. I was picked up and carried out of the lab, kicking and screaming. I was placed back in my cage for the rest of the day, only being let out to be fed when I needed to be.

The next day really was no different. The Professor brought me down to the lab for another go.

"Ok, Jojo, which one's the Florence flask?"

My hand grasped the thin neck of flask on the far left.

"Very good."

And then I threw it.

"Not again!"

I took off in a flash and ran laps around the lab, hopping onto tables and grabbing different equipment and either throwing it down onto the floor, or throwing it at the Professor. I had just grabbed a test tube of blue liquid when the Professor finally succeeded in picking me up. He was out of breath and smiling at me. "Got ya, you little dickens."

I frowned and splashed the blue liquid in his face. He pulled a napkin out of his chest pocket and wiped his face clean, looking very frustrated at that point. "Thank God that wasn't toxic."

I think the Professor started to slowly lose hope in me ever becoming his lab assistant as time went on. He tried to train me for about a month and it was no different. I would always end up throwing things and trying to escape. Nevertheless, he kept trying, hoping for a miracle I suppose.

………

Even though training had slowed down a bit, the Professor still held on to hope that I would learn. He actually finally decided to try an experiment with me for the first time. He strapped on the harness and held onto the leash tightly so that I would not run off, and he made sure to wrap the slack around his wrist so that I was right there next to him.

"Come on, Jojo, I know you can do this," he said hopefully. He had sat a tray of different chemicals in test tubes on top of a cardboard box so that it was within my reach. "Alrighty, let's give it a go. Hand me the test tube with the pink liquid. Test tube with pink liquid," he simplified.

After learning the equipment, the Professor also covered the different colors, so I knew what color pink was. But I think he had a little too much faith in me. I picked up the right test tube, but instead of handing it to him, I jerked it forward so that the liquid slung out of the tube and onto his hand. He instantly dropped my leash and quickly ran his now burning hand under a nearby faucet. After dabbing his hand with a dry washcloth he turned to me with narrowed eyes. Oh I knew I was in trouble then.

I quickly made a run for it as the Professor started to approach me with angry steps. Not knowing where else to flee to, I made a dive under the stairs and slinked to a darkened corner while trembling with fear. The Professor got down on his hands and knees and started crawling towards me. His face was still angry. I thought for sure he was going to hit me as he started to reach towards me. He must have taken pity on me because his face had softened slightly. But that still didn't stop him from grabbing me rather roughly and hauling me out from under the stairs. He held up to where his eyes were leveled with mine.

"I'm willing to take the blame for this one," he said with a sigh. "I shouldn't have started you on dangerous chemicals so soon. 'Course you'd think it would have been more a danger to you than to me, but no matter, I'm the stupid one here. From now on I'll just have to make sure that any chemicals I have you work with are nontoxic…and won't burn a hole through my skin. But I guess we can take a break for a little while."

The Professor carried me up the stairs and out of the lab, removed my harness, and returned me to my cage for the night, muttering a very distressed, "Good night," before turning out the rest of the lights and going to bed, leaving me alone and submerged in total darkness.

We both had our own ideas as to how our lives were going to pursue, but little did we know, things were not about to go quite the way the Professor had planned. Both our lives were about to take a very different and very drastic course.


	8. Chemical X

**VII**

…

Chemical X

…

We took a break from my training sessions like the Professor had said we would. This gave him a chance to replace some of the equipment I had so mercilessly destroyed.

One evening, after the Professor had fed me and placed clean blankets into my cage, he settled himself down on the couch and turned on that stupid TV. Out of fear of seeing those hunters again, I turned myself away from the device and curled up in the blankets. The fresh scent of the fabrics made my nose crinkle. The Professor had obviously used too much fabric softener.

"That's unbelievable," I heard the Professor say quietly to himself. I slowly turned on my side to where I could just barely see over my shoulder. I caught a glimpse of the scene playing on the TV. It was a hostage situation, and cops littered the streets in front of the Townsville bank, armed and standing behind their cars, ready to fire. Two men had robbed the bank and were holding all the people inside hostage. It had been considered one of the worst robberies in Townsville history. It had lasted about three hours I believe.

I looked toward the Professor and saw him shaking his head in obvious disgust. "What's happening to this town? Hardly any crime used to go on around here. It used to be such a safe, clean town."

And the crimes only seemed to escalate after that. It soon turned into an everyday thing, and the Professor was constantly pacing around the house, pipe between his lips and hair all in a mess after having ran his hand through it so much. It actually started to scare me. He always looked so angry when he would pace, and I couldn't help but think he was angry at me, and this was mainly because he would glance at me from time to time whenever he would pace.

"Something has to be done," he would say over and over again. "This can't keep going on."

After hearing this about fifty million times, the Professor finally locked himself up in the lab one evening, and did not come out for hours, which was bad for me since I had not been fed yet. After nearly three hours he returned, looking quite guilty.

"Sorry, I tend to lose track of time when I'm working," he said sheepishly.

For two days he would wake up and quickly make his way to the lab, though always making sure he fed me right before. He left the TV on, thinking it would "comfort" me. Trust me, the sound of human voices are not that comforting to me. Maybe to a dog, but not me.

One evening, after I had already fallen asleep, the Professor returned from the lab quite excitedly.

"Things are going to be different!" I heard him say as I slowly awoke. "The perfect little girl. It'll be great. Someone I can teach right from wrong! She can be a great inspiration to this town."

I watched in confusion as he ran around the house like a chicken with its head cut off. Apparently he had been searching for his car keys; I could hear them jingle from the kitchen once he had found them. He was out of the house before I could even blink.

What had just happened?

I was left alone, blinking stupidly after just witnessing the display of a very excited and rushed Professor running about. He looked happy about something, and I had no idea why, but once it finally sunk in that I was truly alone I suddenly remembered something: my plan.

As the Professor had been working and/or planning down in his lab every day, I had been doing a little planning of my own. I figured he had been using that time to devise some way of torturing me, and I had decided I was not going to sit around and take it. I was going to escape. I was not going to sit around and let this human do whatever he pleased with me. If I wanted to save myself, then I had to take action. Of course that would require him being out of the house, and I was starting to fear I would never get my chance before he tried to pull anything, but fortunately for me that moment had come.

The main plan was to escape, obviously, but from what I could see, there was no real easy way out. There were no open doors or windows, so I had to put my second plan into action in order to buy some time, and that was to destroy what I could in that lab. If I could just destroy everything in that lab, then I would better my chances of finding an escape route. The Professor would obviously have to clean up the mess and replace everything, and in the mean time, I could find a way out of there. I would have liked to just get out of there altogether _without_ having to destroy everything in the lab, but this was just a safety precaution. After all, I did not know how long the Professor would be out of the house, and trying to find a way out of there could take a while.

With this in mind, I slipped my hand through the cage bars and started fiddling with the hatch. I would have done this a lot sooner, but there were not a lot of golden opportunities. For one thing, the Professor rarely opened a window. Not in the living room at least, because he knew how risky it would have been with me in there. He probably kept the window open in his bedroom, but he always had the door closed. He also rarely left the house. During the month and a half I had been there, he had only left the house three times to go to the market. He _always _bought enough to last at least two weeks. He had been gone long enough for me to have pulled this off, sure, but at that time I had not really worked up enough courage to actually try to make a break for it. I always figured I would never find a way out, and the Professor would discover me out of my cage and become angry. The idea of destroying the lab had not occurred to me yet, either. I know, I know. I should have just looked for a way out and risked getting caught instead of wasting my time down in the lab. Because even if I could not find a way out, and the Professor caught me, I would know where not to look next time. But again, I was only a baby and you have to remember that I was rather panicked and desperate to get out, and in situations like those, you cannot always think straight. Common sense was not my strong point. But I think in a way, I had wanted to destroy that lab the moment I laid eyes on it; mainly just for some source of revenge.

Once I managed to unlock the hatch, I pushed the cage door opened and hopped out. I hastily made my way towards the lab and instantly saw that the Professor had left the door open, which was something I don't think he ever did.

I pushed the door open a little further and saw that the Professor had also left the lights on, which made it easy for me to hop down each set of stairs without falling and breaking my neck. Walking towards the center of the lab, my eyes scanned all the different assorted objects, nestled neatly on the countertops and racks. My eyes narrowed for a moment as I started mulling over where I wanted to start. I had no idea how much this would truly benefit me, if at all.

I leapt onto one of the counters to get a closer look at the beakers and flasks. I had figured from the start that the brightly colored liquids were poisons of some sort. Living in the jungle, I had learned that anything that was brightly colored usually meant it was poisonous and that you should stay away from it. Kashka had said that the humans had _injected _him with something. Wouldn't that mean a liquid? And when I had spilled that liquid on the Professor's hand, it had burned him. As far as I could see, my greatest fears were true. He was planning on either torturing me or killing me. Or both.

I quickly turned myself away from the flasks as realization hit me and looked down towards the floor, my eyes settling upon a slightly open drawer. Curious, I reached down to open it completely. Inside, I found a needle, a scalpel, and a pair of scissors. It took only a second for me to suddenly remember Kashka mentioning needles. I was positive this was what he was talking about.

Now, truthfully, the Professor could have used that needle for anything, but in my mind, I could only think of one possible thing. I could not look to any other logical assumptions. This was what I saw down the road for me.

I had to get rid of any sharp objects. I quickly grasped the needle and the other contents of the drawer and tried to find a suitable place to hide them. I eventually settled for a trashcan and buried them beneath dozens of crumbled papers.

My next plan was simple: destroy everything I could get my hands on. I did not know if my time was severely limited, but I had to move as though I had no time at all.

There were plenty of beakers and test tubes in that lab, filled with different colored liquids. I figured I would start from the back and work my way to the front. I scampered towards the far back of the lab and hopped onto the counter, which took two tries actually; the first time I slipped on one of the metal handles from the drawers and fell backwards onto my back.

Once I finally made it onto the counter I simply knocked every flask over with a swipe of the hand, sending the fragile containers to the tile floor with a loud shatter. Each liquid was released from its container and slowly spread out onto the floor, mixing with other liquids.

I hopped from counter to counter, knocking over ever flask that was within my reach. Eventually, though, I had to leap onto higher shelves, which wasn't easy. I actually had to open some of the cabinets and use the shelves like stairs to get to the higher shelves. Every time I thought I came close to getting them all, there was another batch somewhere else.

I jumped down from the high shelf I was on, to another, then the counter and then the floor, destroying each and every flask as I went. As I frantically scampered across the room in search of more beakers and flasks, I just barely took notice of the Professor slowly dragging himself into the lab, holding what looked to be a brown paper back. I should have panicked. I should have bolted, but he was not doing anything to stop me, so I decided to keep on with what I was doing.

I noticed the TV hanging on the wall and almost ignored it, but upon remembering the horrible images of the hunters and the decapitated animals, I leapt up and plunged my fist into the screen out of anger. I figured humans probably got their inspiration to kill from those things.

My next target was a tape reel. As I removed one of the reels and tossed it to the floor I soon realized that this had indeed become more of a means of releasing my anger than trying to save my own skin, though that was still the primary reason for doing it. I had already released my sadness in small portions, but I had kept my anger bottled up for some time and only just started letting it out little by little when the Professor had brought me into his home. But then it seemed the more I destroyed, the more anger I realized I had kept stored away, and it was actually a shock to me to realize how much anger I actually had.

Next I targeted a filing cabinet. I scuttled across the top, opened the drawer, reached in and threw a handful of papers in every direction without much thought at all. After that, I hopped down and made a leap for a rack of test tubes, grabbing onto the neck of a very large flask. Of course the thing could not support my weight and so it broke, sending me to the floor with the shattered remains of the equipment. Well, hey, at least I broke it.

I only glanced at the Professor for a brief moment. He looked to be mixing something together, but I hardly took notice. I quickly set out for something else to destroy.

I shimmied up one of the racks to where I could reach the wall clock and slammed my fist into it. After sliding back down the pole, I ceased my actions for a moment to finally stop and actually see what the Professor was doing. He was, in fact, mixing something. Narrowing my eyes, I figured he must have been fixing some sort of new poison in that cauldron. Maybe that thing was what he made _all _of his poisons in. Well, whatever it was, I would have to take a risk and get him away from that thing so that I could possibly get up there and knock it over.

I made a run for it across the lab, charging at full speed towards the Professor as he continued mixing the concoction, still not taking notice of me. I gave him a violent shove, catching him off guard. As I shoved him I had noticed that he had slammed his stirring rod into a container of what I soon discovered was chemical X, but I just _barely _noticed.

After shoving him I wanted to get as far away from him as I possibly could since I was expecting him to start chasing me the moment I shoved him, but he was far more transfixed with the concoction he had been mixing, which was now emitting a very bright pink aura. I, too, became interested with the mixture, although it seemed the Professor was now highly nervous since he was slowly backing away from the cauldron. I, on the other hand, walked towards it with a now very high level of curiosity. This was where I went wrong. Just as I started to peek into the mixture, there was a loud explosion, and then darkness.

……….

I'm not sure how long I had been out, but I woke up feeling absolutely horrible. I would like to say I had a headache, but that would have been an understatement. It felt like a broadsword had ripped its way through my skull, and the pain was unbelievable. And there was something else I had noticed as well: my head felt extremely heavy.

I realized as I had woken up that I was lying on my side, and I had a great deal of difficulty sitting up since my head felt so overweight. I put a hand to my aching head but quickly pulled it away as I felt something abnormal just above my forehead. I slowly placed my trembling hand there again and moved it farther up. It was clear to me that very moment that whatever that thing was on top of my head, it was what was causing the massive amount of weight.

I tried to stand up on my hands and feet like I instinctively would, but the weight of my head caused me to topple forward, so I this time tried to stand on my feet like I saw humans do, as much as I did not want to.

After finally getting my balance, I noticed that the explosion had sent me back a few feet and back behind some equipment. As I looked down towards the floor I noticed something odd: my feet were not their usual peach color, but a pale green color. I quickly looked at my hands and found they, too, were of the same green color, but my eyes noticed something more bizarre than that. It was then that I finally saw my dull reflection in the polished, tile floor, and I saw the reason behind my head feeling so heavy. The sight was horrifying to me. My brain was actually protruding from my skull. Was this some sort of nightmare? Was I still unconscious?

I also noticed another physical change. I looked older. Several years older in fact. I had a slightly larger build and my fingers and toes were longer, which left me highly puzzled. But then there came the final blow to my transformation.

"Where did he go?" I heard a voice say.

"I don't know. You think he's coming back?"

I slowly turned toward the voices and stared in awe at the three little girls hovering just above the cauldron. I don't know what was stranger to me, the fact that they could fly, or the fact that I could understand what they were saying.

"I wish he would come back," the blonde one said. "He seemed really nice."

"He said something about presents!" the brunette said excitedly.

I could hardly breathe as I averted my attention away from the three little girls and to myself again. I looked myself over more thoroughly, and then took another quick glance at the three girls. I had not thought of this right there on the spot, but I later came up with a theory as to why I had took on a slightly older appearance. I figured the chemical X had that effect on anyone who was exposed to it, sort of like a reversed Fountain of Youth sort of thing. The Powerpuff Girls had been born as five-year-olds, rather than newborn babies, so I figured the chemical X upped the age a little bit. The Powerpuff Girls had not already existed so that made sense to me, but since I did already exist, then the chemical X added about five or so years to my own appearance. Despite my intelligence, even I cannot think of a reasonable explanation to everything. This was the best I could think of.

A shout of surprise brought me out of my thoughts and caused me to look up. I saw that the Professor had returned and had been in the process of falling down the stairs with arms full of presents, but one of the girls had caught him in the nick of time.

"Professor, you should be more careful when coming down the steps. You could get hurt," said the redhead.

The Professor just stood there, obviously dumbstruck. I saw the blonde and brunette fly towards him excitedly with arms full of the gifts he had dropped when he had fallen.

"Hey, are these for us?" the brunette asked.

The Professor just nodded, still obviously too flabbergasted to speak.

"Yeah!"

"Yippee!"

"Thanks, Professor!"

My expression was just as awestruck as the Professor's. I watched as the girls flew about excitedly, ripping the wrapping paper from their presents, all while giggling happily. A couple of times I would close my eyes very tightly and then open them extremely wide, trying to see if what I saw was just some crazy illusion I was experiencing as a possible aftershock from the explosion. But it wasn't. It was as real as night and day.

"Hey, thanks!" the brunette said happily as she flew off with a ridiculously vast amount of toys.

"Yes, Professor, thank you!" said the redhead as she flew off with a globe and a set of books. It was easy to tell that she would be the one to carry home the straight As.

"This is the best gift ever…Dad," said the blonde as she pecked the Professor on the cheek, a stuffed octopus secured in her arms. He smiled broadly and then looked up towards them.

"Yes, it is."

I watched the display a moment longer with a scowl. The Professor had obviously gotten far too caught up in the arrival of these newcomers that the whereabouts of my presence was of no interest to him, though that really did not bother me. I quietly retreated back into the shadows and waited patiently for he and the newest arrivals to venture back upstairs so that I could sneak out unnoticed. I took that time to recover from my shock of my sudden transformation, all while trying to concoct a plan for where to go from there.


	9. Cast Out

VIII

…

Cast Out

…

I pathetically dragged myself along the sidewalk, barely even lifting my feet off the ground. I had managed to slip out of the house unnoticed, which did not come as a shock to me since the Professor was obviously too busy attending to his latest creation, or truthfully, _my _creation. But I really do not want to take credit for something that I later came to hate.

The night was cold, and very bleak. I was not used to such cold climate. The jungle was always humid. This was almost unbearable. I tried to fold my arms over my bare chest, but it did not offer me much warmth. My feet and face were still exposed to the cold, biting air, which was--to a native of the land--probably not all that cold, but I certainly was not used to it.

I must have been walking for an hour at least before I actually ventured into the outskirts of the city. I tried my best to keep away from the streets. The city was very much alive with roaring traffic. I had never seen so many cars in one place, and watching them zip up and down the streets made me feel a bit uneasy. I made sure not to get too close to the sidewalk's edge.

Not everyone was in their cars, however. Out of the corner of my eye, I could just barely make out the thin outlines of people walking along the sidewalks on the opposite side of the street. If they had taken notice of me, they obviously did not think much of my appearance since it was dark, and I was probably nothing more than a small silhouette to their eyes. I just had to make sure not to step into the light of the street lights. Eventually, though, I had to take drastic measures and take refuge in the alleyways. That may sound dangerous, but I didn't have much of a choice. Where else could I go? And if I stayed out in the open like I was, I was bound to be discovered and that could have dire consequences.

I found an old TV box near an overturned trashcan and decided to take shelter in it for the night. It was torn and damp, but it was a barrier against the wind. I pulled my legs to my exposed chest and tried to stay as warm as possible. It was nearly impossible for me to get any sleep that night with all the honking I heard from the ongoing traffic. It drove me nearly insane. When did these people sleep?

I couldn't stop prodding my exposed brain, and I shuddered every time I so much as put a finger to it. I didn't _want _to touch it, but it is just one of those unexplainable things that we all do. Like sucking air through your teeth when you have a cavity. You know the result, but you still have to do it.

My head still hurt, but it was a dull pain and could be tolerated. Of course the constant honking produced from the traffic would probably do well to keep my headache from ceasing all together, but I tried to ignore it nonetheless.

My attention was eventually brought away from the honking when I heard a low growl within the alley. I leaned forward slightly to where my head just barely stuck out from the box and let my eyes scan the area. I soon discovered the source of the growl--a very mean-looking dog, as I had anticipated. It looked to be a German shepherd mix, and did not take well to my presence. I was obviously on its turf and it wanted me gone. It revealed its teeth and jerked forward slightly as if to charge me, but I could tell it was only trying to psyche me out first. It took a few steps forward when I would not budge, keeping its teeth bared. I was not in the mood for this. I crawled out of the box and stood upright. The dog backed up slightly out of surprise, but kept a fighting stance. The fur on my arms and shoulders began to stand on end, giving me a much larger appearance, and I then started swaying from side to side. If only there had been a branch I could have grabbed onto to shake violently. Now _that _would have really made me look threatening.

Defeated, the dog let its tail fall between its legs and trotted off. I gave a triumphant, "Hmph," and crawled back into the box. I tried to get as comfortable as I could, which proved to be nearly impossible. How possible can it be to find comfort in a cardboard box anyway? I eventually settled for curling up in the corner and letting my head fall to the side. As the hours passed on, the traffic slowly began to disperse and was reduced to maybe one or two cars rushing by every ten minutes or so.

I finally found sleep.

………

I must have only gotten two or so hours of sleep. It was still fairly dark when I woke up, and I saw that the traffic had come alive again. I also discovered that I had a kink in my neck which had been the result of me allowing my head to fall to the side.

Apparently it had rained a little during the time I had slept; the pavement was damp, and a light fog had set in. I needed to find something to eat, but I didn't know where to start. I knew there had to be food in the trashcan, but who knew how long it had been there. Well, this obviously meant I was going to have to venture out amongst the humans in hopes of finding anything edible that did not pose a threat to my digestive tract. But if I was going to have any hopes of pulling it off, that meant I had to dress like them. I knew this could benefit me not only in keeping a low profile, but it could also provide me with warmth.

But where was I going to find any clothes?

I obviously couldn't just walk up to someone and yank their clothes off and hope they would not notice, and I certainly could not walk into a clothing store. This time I had no choice but to settle for scrounging through the garbage. Oh joy.

I first looked in the large dumpster that sat near the end of the alleyway. I had to breathe through my mouth; the smell was unbearable. It took me a while, but I finally found an old, slightly tattered blue and white striped shirt. It didn't look completely repulsive and it easily fit. The sleeves matched my arms' length perfectly, but the shirt tail fell down past my waist and to my feet. This was fine. I needed to cover as much of myself as I could anyway. I dug a little further and came upon a sorry excuse of a scarf. No wonder the thing was in the dumpster. It had holes all over the place and there were loose threads everywhere you looked. I probably could have gone without it, but fear of the cold night air made me think otherwise, and so I wrapped it around my neck and pulled it snug.

Aided by the fog, I managed to walk along the sidewalk without being seen. I was coming upon another alley, but before I reached the end of the sidewalk, I caught the faint outline of a man reaching into one of the newspaper bins to retrieve the morning paper. About three or so feet away I noticed a bench where a brown trench coat lay. While he was distracted with the paper, I managed to sneak up and snag the coat before he even turned around.

Once I was safe around the corner of the building, I held up the coat with one hand and examined it thoroughly. Nodding in satisfaction, I slipped it on, finding that it fit nicely. Sure, the tail dragged the ground a little bit, but that was to be expected. After looking myself over I found that I really looked like a real bum.

My next mission was to find food, and fast. I could practically feel my stomach gnawing at my backbone. I had a taste for something sweet, and moist; my mouth was so dry. I figured there had to be a fruit cart around there somewhere, but it was still so early in the morning. I was not sure if anyone would be outside selling food that early.

I peeked around the corner and ventured back out onto the sidewalk, pulling the collar of my trench coat up to where it shielded most of my face, but it obviously was not going to be able to shield my brain from sight. I just hoped the fog would hold out long enough. It was still dense enough to where my details could not be depicted unless someone was standing right there in front of me.

Time dragged on and I was not having any luck finding a source of food that would be easy to obtain, and the worst part was the fog was starting to lift, and my appearance was beginning to become more clear. I started panicking. I needed to find a place to hide before I was discovered. I started sprinting down the sidewalk, stumbling on my shirt tail almost every three steps.

"Oh come on, just give me a minute," I said to the fog, too panicked to notice that I had actually spoken my first English words. I was almost ready to dive headfirst into a dumpster once the fog had entirely lifted. I was completely exposed now. Oh, why couldn't there have been a giant hole in the middle of the street I could jump in? I needed to get out of sight and fast. For a moment I thought luck was on my side when I saw that most people were in their cars and not on the streets, and anybody in their cars would be zipping by too quickly to even take notice of me. Of course, as I should have expected, my luck ran out when I rounded a corner and plowed into someone.

"Oh, excuse me, sir I didn't-" the woman began but stopped once she took a good look at me. "Oh my God, it's hideous!" she screeched. I winced at the tone of her voice, because I knew now that anyone else who was possibly wandering the streets were now looking over in my direction and taking notice of me as well.

"Please, lady, you are making a scene," I pleaded. This only seemed to frighten her more. She pulled an orange out of the bag of groceries she had secured in her arms and chucked it at me.

"Hey, stop that!" I yelled as the fruit took a hit to my left eye. The woman only screamed and dropped her bag of groceries. Rubbing my eye, which I knew would be black pretty soon, I looked down at the scattered groceries all over the ground. I guess that was the silver lining of getting hit in the eye with an orange--I had food.

I placed the groceries back into the bag and walked on, trying to ignore the horrified stares I was receiving. I noticed with mild amusement that one man took one look at the bottle of whatever liquor he had been drinking and then chucked it in the garbage.

"Did you see that?"

"Its brain was coming out of it its head."

"It had green skin!"

I quickened my pace as I was eager to get out of earshot of all the voices, but it seemed like I wasn't going anywhere. I knew my legs were moving but it was though the sidewalk went on forever, and I could feel more and more eyes boring into me and I almost felt as if I was being choked. More people seemed to appear out of nowhere, and even the people who were driving along down the street started to notice me, and came close to a head-on collision every time. I started to panic, and feared I may pass out if I did not get out of sight quick. When I found another, more slightly narrow alleyway, I practically threw myself in it and crawled behind a pile of garbage bags. I hugged the bag of groceries to my chest and breathed a sigh of relief. It felt like my heart may leap out of my chest and start flopping around on the ground like a distressed fish.

Things had not gone well that morning. My whole plan was to stay out of sight as best as I could and I blew it big time. There was no hope for me blending in with the humans as long as my brain was exposed. I stuck out like a traffic cone! I would have to find some way to keep it out of sight, but I did not know how. I knew the alternative would be for me to stay hidden during the day and search for food at night if I did not find a way to keep myself well-disguised.

I shoved these thoughts out of my mind for a moment and focused my attention on the bag of groceries. Inside, I found a plastic bag of apples, a jar of pickles, a loaf of bread, a small bottle of Cola, and a TV dinner. I would have to settle for the fruit and bread. The TV dinner was out of the question. Although, I did try one of the pickles, but they were far too sour for my liking. I devoured the apples in a matter of minutes, and I only ate about half of the bread. The Cola was definitely new to me, but strangely enough, I actually liked it.

I sat back against the brick wall once my hunger was satisfied. I looked to the empty bag and laughed. "Ha! You are empty, while I am full!" Honestly, I do not know why I said that either, but it was then that I thought of a way to put that bag to better use. Picking it up, I examined its size, and then I carefully placed it over my brain; it fit perfectly. Sure, I knew it had to look ridiculous, but how else could I possibly cover it?

………

The next day I worked up enough courage to give my new disguise a try. I was reluctant at first but once I stepped out of the alley and started to slowly make my way along the sidewalk I found myself growing a little less rigid and nervous. People were not shouting insults or running away when they noticed me. Most did not even notice me at all. Those who did probably saw me as a common hobo. There were a few who cocked an eyebrow when they saw the paper bag on my head, but they did not ask questions.

When I came upon the public library I stopped and spent several seconds staring at it longingly. My mind was already filled with so much knowledge. It was overwhelming, but I knew I couldn't possibly know everything, but I _wanted_ to know everything. Who wouldn't? There was still so much I could learn. I knew my oversized brain had plenty of room to spare for new knowledge, and with this in mind, I walked confidently up to the building and stepped inside without much hesitation. I made sure the bag was secure and no parts of my brain were visible, and I also raised the collar on my coat to better hide my face. A few faces turned to look at me but soon turned back to their books or computers. A woman standing behind the front desk looked at me oddly.

"Can I help you today, sir?" she asked, cocking an eyebrow as she looked at the bag on my head.

"Ugh…no, thank you," I replied nervously and pulled my collar up higher.

"Is there any reason why there's a paper bag on your head?"

Obviously humans did not know how to mind their own business.

"Oh…umm…well, you see, I…I'm kind of having hair trouble, and I'm rather self-conscious about it," I said, then mentally kicked myself for making such a lame excuse. Surprisingly, the woman bought it.

"Oh, I see. Well, I apologize for asking."

I turned and walked towards the back of the library. I wanted to be out of range of any wandering eyes. I picked a small round table to do my reading and then proceeded to stock up on books. I was not sure where I wanted to start first. Math? Literature? Science? History? I figured I had to start somewhere. I decided math would probably be the best place to start. I already knew basic math skills: subtraction, addition, multiplication, and division so I decided to tackle geometry, and then calculus. I had a photographic memory so really anything I read stuck with me, and I managed to read through two text books in under two hours.

Next I wanted to look into Earth science, and I soon discovered that this was a subject I couldn't get enough of. I read up on possible theories on how the Earth was formed, such as the Big Bang, and read quite a load on global warming. _This _amazed me. Mankind was using up Earth's natural resources, and yet they did not think it would have any sort of future effect? Ha! That I found amusing. So the fact that they were destroying our rainforests and jungles not only was life-threatening for chimpanzees and other animals, but also for them. They were slowly destroying themselves! Unbelievable. I just could not understand humans' constant need to be destructive. Was it in their blood? Could they not help it? I do not think I would ever understand human nature, and honestly, I didn't want to.

After I did two hour's worth of research on Earth science, and another half hour's worth of marine science, I next wanted to find out where exactly I had come from, which I knew would be a challenge. This had been on my mind for a while actually, and now that I was in a place full of possible answers, I knew I could not pass up the opportunity.

When I spotted an empty computer I went for it immediately and found a search engine. I wanted to view a map of the world first before I went any further. When I found Venezuela, it was easy for me to find Africa off to the right, and I knew I could narrow it down just by guessing from how long I had been on that plane. Of course when I saw how big Africa was, I felt a little uneasy. I knew I had to have come from the west. We made the trip to Venezuela in a matter of probably nine hours I'm guessing, maybe a little longer, so obviously I had to have come from the west side, otherwise the trip would have been much longer. But which country? There were several countries on the west side: Guinea, Senegal, Sierra Leone. This would require hard research based on my memory of climate and land structure. I knew I was in for a good three or so hours of research. Ordinarily, I do not have a great deal of patience, but in this case, I was willing to take as much time as I needed, and I wanted to conduct thorough research. I did not want to just make some sort of lame brained assumption.

Once I researched on the internet for at least two hours, I had narrowed it down to two countries: Liberia, and Sierra Leone. It was a hard call to make, and I knew if I wanted to be sure, then I was going to have to do some hardcore research. It proved to be harder than I thought. I must have spent another two hours just comparing the two countries. Much of the land looked very similar and even the jungles looked identical. But during my eleven months of living in the wild, we had done an exquisite amount of traveling, and some of scenery actually looked familiar in the photographs. This helped with my final decision greatly, and in the end it was decided that Liberia was in deed the country of my origin. I sat back in my seat and breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, it had taken long enough, but it actually felt pretty good to know where I had come from, whether or not I ever planned to return. It was kind of the feeling you get when you put in the last piece of the puzzle.

After I left the computer I trotted over to the nature section. I had not even begun to study any literature or history yet, but I was really wanting to read any information regarding my own species. I managed to find two books on chimpanzees in the 'Primates' section, and as I started reading I figured I would only be inclined to read a few minutes further since really all information that I read I already knew through instincts and experience, but then once I got to a section in one of the books about how my species was endangered, _that's_ when I became interested.

Many species--not just my own--were endangered due to habitat destruction. Humans made use of our homes for their own benefits, or homes for themselves even. But that was not the worst of it. As I read on, I read about the poachers, the Exotic Animal Trade, and even the Bushmeat Trade. I'll admit, they all equally made my blood boil, but knowledge of the Bushmeat Trade nearly made me throw up. Eventually I couldn't read any further. I was so blinded by fury that I could no longer make sense of the words in the book. I finally just returned the books to their original location and tried to focus my mind on learning what I could about literature and history, but by the time I actually opened another book, time had caught up with me and I finally realized just how tired I was. I had been in that library for over six hours. I couldn't believe how fast time had gotten away from me. My eyes were stinging at that point.

I returned all the books to their locations and quickly headed for the door, and the only reason why I was rushing was because that nosey woman was staring at me again. She looked somewhat bewildered. I suppose it was not every day that some hobo-looking person came into the library and read nonstop for over six hours. I don't think it was natural for _anyone _to be in a library for more than six hours.

Once I made it outside I saw just how much time had escaped me. The sun's position had changed greatly, and I knew that the day was in its final hours. I slowly descended down the steps, feeling quite pensive. I came out of that library with far more knowledge than I had when I went in and anytime you learn something you know your day was not a waste, but there were quite a few things I had learned that day that I could have done without. At that moment I had become so scatterbrained that I could hardly pay attention to where I was going. Even when the people I occasionally bumped into shouted at me I still looked on with a dazed expression.

I'm not entirely sure how long I had been walking, but I had come to an abrupt halt when I had come upon a brick building where next to it lay mountains of old cardboard boxes. It was getting late, and I was already tired from reading so much, so I staggered towards the closest empty box and crawled in. From there I watched the sun end another day, and tried to think of where I should go from there. My options wee not looking too good. I was hundreds of miles away from familiar territory, I was in a place where I was clearly not considered the dominant species, and if I was discovered, then most likely the outcome would be the same as it had been before.

Hours later, after night had taken the city in a twelve hour grasp, I was still awake and had not altered my position since I had climbed into the box. I could hear the distant rumble of thunder, and then only seconds later, rain fell from the sky in heavy amounts. Lightening flashed angrily, and thunder pursued it with equal fury. It suited the mood very well.

As I stared out at the street some ten feet ahead of me, I could see the scene slowly begin to change. Street lights suddenly morphed into trees, and I found myself staring at my group, all sitting in the rain and barely taking notice of it. We rarely ever took shelter from the rain. We actually enjoyed it on some occasions, but I clearly saw my mother, somewhat detached from the group and trying her hardest to shelter me from the aggressive raindrops. Was this real?

I don't think I even realized I had stood up and had gradually started moving towards the group. My eyes were focused directly on my mother, but every time I called out to her she would not look up. I called louder, but then realized I was speaking the human language, and instead tried hooing to her like I had as a baby whenever I felt threatened. She still did not look up. Frustrated, I emitted a loud _waa _bark, but it once again proved fruitless. I stared hopelessly in the pouring rain, watching my mother and my younger self from a distance. Why could she not hear me? Didn't she see me? Didn't any of them see me?

I was about to scream but I was suddenly brought out of my cruel vision by the loud sound of a horn screaming in my ear. I swiftly turned my head and saw two bright lights barreling towards me and they did not show any signs of stopping. I threw myself out of the way just before the car ran me over and I rolled across the street until I bumped against the curb. The car had screeched to a halt and an angry-looking man had stuck his head out the window and looked over towards me. "Hey! If you're going to kill yourself then go jump off a building!" he yelled and then sped off. Placing a shaky hand to my chest, I could feel my heart pounding vigorously. I barely even managed to stand up since my legs were shaking so much, but I still managed to swagger back to the sanctity of my cardboard box, although I much rather wanted to crawl into a hole and remain there forever where no one could find me. I hated feeling vulnerable and helpless. You have no idea what a horrible feeling that is.

As I continued to stare at the pouring rain with a blank gaze, I started seeing images play across my mind; clips of the events that had come and gone, playing over and over again. I tried shutting my eyes in hopes of ridding myself of the images, but they were still there, repeating themselves over and over again still. The first image I could make out was a quick view of my jungle, then next an image of me and my mother, then Kojo, and then those repulsive humans who had raided our home. And then finally as the last of the images played out, there was a thunderous sound--a gunshot. My eyes opened slowly and a streak of lightening illuminated my face, pursued by a very loud crack of thunder. I had taken all that I could.

I wanted revenge.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for the wait. I didn't think it would take me this long to finish the chapter. I had actually gotten two new reviews just recently which sort of gave me a little inspiration to go ahead and finish up the last bit which had been put on hold for a while due to laziness lol. I really wasn't expecting anyone else was going to review this story, but it gave me an extra boost.


	10. Quenching the Thirst

IX

…

Quenching the Thirst

…

Revenge.

That was all I wanted. I wanted mankind to fall to its knees. I wanted all humans to suffer the same horrors and tragedies that we had for so long. I wanted _them _to feel our pain and misery; stuff _them_ in a cage and see how they liked it.

I was not able to salvage one bit of sleep that night. The vision I had had sort of left me in a daze, and I was suddenly feeling my anger resurfacing. My position hadn't changed; I was still sitting up in my cardboard box, staring blankly ahead. The painful rumble of my stomach was the only thing that persuaded me to get up and move.

I decided to instead head towards the back of the buildings instead of venturing out onto the sidewalk where I was easily exposed. I wanted to remain unseen as much as possible, and I figured there were probably large dumpsters towards the back of the buildings that might possibly offer a scrap of food. It had been hours since I had last ate, and I was surprised that my hunger pains were just now catching up with me. I guess when your mind is heavy with personal thoughts, it's hard to notice pretty much anything else.

I kicked empty boxes out of my way and stumbled over discarded trashcan lids as I came to the other end of the alley. Looking from left to right, I only spotted one dumpster, but it was better than nothing. I sprinted towards it and climbed up to push the heavy lid back. Trash was filled to the top of the dumpster, some in trash bags, and some just randomly piled around, as though someone had just walked by and tossed it in there. From what I could see, there wasn't much that looked edible or unspoiled. Desperate, I climbed in and started tearing open the bulging black trash bags; I managed to find a box of half eaten donuts. They didn't look too old so I figured they would be safe enough to eat. They were a little too sweet for my taste, but I was in no position to argue. I had to take what I could find.

As I tried to scrounge for something else I was suddenly distracted by a constant beeping sound that seemed to be getting louder and louder. Before I was even able to pop my head up to see whatever it was that was making the accursed sound, I was suddenly jostled very roughly within the dumpster. Something very large, apparently, had come in contact with the dumpster, and only seconds after the dumpster began to ascend into the air did I realize that it was a garbage truck. I started screaming loudly, hoping to get the attention of the truck drivers but there was just too much noise for them to hear me from the outside.

I tumbled into the garbage truck headfirst, followed by an ocean of garbage bags, which fell on top of me, burying me within the foul smelling filth of human discarded food and useless items. It was then that I realized just how much garbage was in that dumpster, because it took me forever to actually dig my way out of it. But every time I finally managed to find my way to the surface, the truck was piling yet another load into its cavity. Eventually I had tired myself out and just let the garbage pile on top of me, even though I could barely breathe.

After a while my head was spinning due to the fowl smell and the lack of oxygen, and I knew it was probably only a matter of time before I actually passed out, but before that opportunity came, I suddenly felt myself being lifted up and tilted forward, and before I knew it, I was dumped out of the truck, the bags of garbage pursuing me. I fell into what looked like a massive mountain of garbage.

"Disgusting," I spat as I pushed off a rather heavy bag of trash that had fallen on top of me. Getting a good look at my surroundings, I saw that I had been brought to the city dump. How lovely. I couldn't think of a better way to start the morning.

I kicked another bag of trash out of the way and slid down the mountain of repulsive human waste products. Looking myself over, I nearly retched. I was covered in filth. Banana peels clung to my arms, egg shells had actually found their way into my pockets, and a half eaten lollipop actually stuck to my shirt. "This is just wrong," I said as I plucked the lollipop from my shirt. "Arrgh! Sick!" I emptied my pockets of the egg shells and dusted myself off, but there was no getting rid of the smell. "This is disgusting; unsanitary, which is to say, completely unsettling and most certainly not clean!" I shouted in anguish. "How can these creatures produce so much--OW!"

Looking down, I saw that I had stepped on a piece of glass. With a sigh of despair, I sat and carefully pulled the jagged piece of glass (it looked to have come from a broken beer bottle) from my foot, wincing in pain. The wound was bleeding heavily, and I knew I'd have to find some way to bandage it to keep it from getting infected, though I knew just bandaging it could hardly protect it. I figured I could tear off a strip of the overcoat to use but then I saw that the sash was still secure in the loops around the coat, so I pulled that out and tied it around my foot, making sure to pull it tight to stop of the bleeding. As I stood back up, I saw that I had a long walk in store for me, which was bad since I now had an injured foot, so that meant I'd have to limp.

As I managed to get back up on my feet the sound of laughter came into earshot. "Now what?" I said as I turned towards the noise. The laughter was getting closer, and I could tell there was more than one of them. Finally, all five of them came into view from around a large pile of garbage.

"Did you see the look on that guy's face?" one of them said, followed by another loud cackle. "I'm tellin' ya, he was….well, what'd we have here?" one of them said as he took notice of me. I could tell this one was probably the leader. "Lookie here, shorty, this is our turf. Why don't chu beat it!"

"Hey, bossss, he'sss gotss green sssskin like ussss," another one said.

"Yeah, but he sure ain't good looking."

"Well you, sir, are hardly a looker yourself," I snapped back. The leader pulled his sunglasses down over his nose to shoot me a rather disapproving glare.

"'Scuse me? You're talking to Ace, little fella. Everyone round here knows you don't talk to Ace like dat. Right boys?"

The rest of the group nodded in agreement while laughing stupidly. "You just picked a bad spot to hang around, little man. This is the Gangrene Gang's turf!"

So this was the Gangrene Gang the Professor had mentioned. Well, given their odd skin pigment, I probably would have figured that out.

I took a few steps back as they started advancing toward me, cracking their knuckles and grinning wickedly. There were too many for me to fend off on my own. My best bet at that moment was to run, but since my foot was badly wounded, there was no way I would have been able to run and stay ahead of them.

The one called Ace stepped forward first and slugged me across the face. As the force of the blow sent me back onto the ground, the bag on my head suddenly slipped off.

"Oh sick! This guy's a freak!"

I scrambled to get the bag back over my exposed brain again, but what did it matter? They had already seen.

"What should we do with him, Ace?" the shortest one asked.

"You know what we do with freaks, Little Arturo."

Wow, talk about pot calling the kettle black.

They all moved in quickly, arms raised and fists clinched. I couldn't fight back, but I was most certainly not about to beg for mercy, so the only thing I could do was shut my eyes and wait for it all to be over.

The punches were to lightening as the kicks were to thunder; every punch was followed by a painful kick. I tried to remain curled up in a ball to prevent most of the blows from hitting my stomach, but it seemed like they weren't leaving until they had hit every part of my body. I suddenly felt one of them grab me by my arms and haul me up onto my feet. As I slowly looked up, my gaze was met with an incoming fist. Lights flashed behind my eyes as another blow was subjected to my temple. Next they all started taking turns punching me in the stomach. Only when I was on the brink of unconsciousness did they finally let up. The large one released my arms and I fell to the ground with a loud thud. They all walked away, laughing and joking at my expense.

I managed to push myself onto my hands and knees, but that alone was painful enough. I could feel blood gathering at my chin, and in my mouth as well. Slumping over, I put a hand to my stomach. With all the blows I had taken to the stomach, I felt for sure that I was going to throw up.

"What did I do?" I suddenly said aloud. "Am I being punished for something?"

It certainly felt like it. Everything that could go wrong, _did _go wrong….almost every day it seemed. Nothing seemed to be looking up for me; there was no silver lining, and now I was in a strange world where it was apparent that I was not welcome. Well now I was more determined than ever to quench my thirst for revenge. The only question was how? How could I possibly make my desire for revenge a reality? Well, at that moment I was in too much pain to give it a second thought. I was positive that once I was rested it would come to me.

Forcing myself to my feet, I slowly started to limp back to the city, though not before turning to face the retreating backs of the five gangsters and muttering, "And you're going to get yours, too."

………

My walk back to the city did not go without little displeasures. On the way back, a bunch of kids who were throwing rocks at dumpsters decided to use me as target practice instead. And no, the word, 'freak' did not go unheard. And as an added bonus, I was soaked to the bone when a man, who was apparently in a hurry for something, ran by and shoved me out of the way, sending me into a very large puddle of water. Just perfect, and it wasn't even noon yet.

Finally, I was able to find my way back to my cardboard box, which managed to relieve some stress. As I settled myself inside I pulled the flaps shut so no one could see me and pulled my legs to my chest. My entire body ached and throbbed. I was exhausted, and still a little bit hungry, too, but at the moment I was too scared to go dumpster diving again.

Eventually I settled myself down on my right side, hissing in pain. I knew it had been uncomfortable before, but thanks to my newly inflicted injuries, it just seemed so much more displeasing sleeping in a cardboard box. Despite the pain, sleep seemed to hit me in an instant. I only slept for a couple of hours though and that was due to my extreme hunger, but I did not want to take anymore chances. I had been through enough for one day. I would just have to wait until nightfall before I could hope to find anything that could hopefully be consumed.

………

The next morning I woke up early. My body was still aching and my foot was still a little sore, but I had managed to find something worth eating the previous night, so at least I wasn't weak. Though it was hardly anything nutritious.

The previous night, before I had finally put myself to rest, I mentally debated with myself a possible plot against the humans. Overpowering a dominant species was something I knew couldn't possibly be easy, and probably not something I could do alone. Reinforcements was what I needed. If only I could reinforcement other primates in my mission, but I was so much different than other primates. I had great intelligence, far greater than that of any other primate, and even some humans. So how in the world could I get them to understand? Well, that answer hit me quick enough -- Chemical X. If it could increase my intelligence tenfold, then it could easily do the same for any primate. Easier said than done though.

"This is hopeless," I muttered in despair as I massaged my temples. But just then, a stack of newspapers were suddenly dropped right in front of me. I reached out and picked up a copy, suddenly interested. "Hmmm…" I became even more interested when I read the heading:

"FREAKY BUG-EYED WEIRDO GIRLS BROKE EVERYTHING."

And that's when my plan finally pieced itself together in an instant, and it was all so perfect. Revenge was within my reach. I couldn't help but laugh manically as it all came together into such a colorful and detailed picture. They were all going to pay. I was going to avenge my mother's death, as well as the oppression of every primate on Earth!

………

The plan seemed simple enough. It was just a matter of getting started, and when. That afternoon I began exploring the city a bit more thoroughly. I had already gone back to the library that morning for some more studying; mainly in the field of mathematics and engineering. I also made a blueprint of the observatory I wanted to build. It was just a matter of finding the place to support it, and it had to be very particular.

I was actually startled when I came upon the volcano in the park, but I was instantly satisfied. It was perfect; it was exactly what I needed for my base. I just needed to get started on the project, but even I could not do it alone.

I was able to put together a platform that would be used to anchor the observatory to the volcano's mouth in a matter of hours. All I did was recycle metal and other materials that I had found in dumpsters and factories all along the city. I was probably getting far more excited than I needed to, but everything seemed to be going right for once. Nothing could stop me; I felt invincible.

To rap it all up, I made a stop by the Townsville Zoo. All day I had heard children begging their parents to take them to the zoo, and I wanted to see for myself just what was so special about it. Well, when I first came upon it, I cannot say that it was anything special in my eyes. From what I saw, it really wasn't any different than what I had experienced since I had been taken out of my home. Only this time I saw every species of animal I had seen back home, locked up and confined.

Alright, I will admit, it was a step up from a cold, metal cage. I mean, at least there was room for them to explore, and they were not alone at least. But humans were trying to create the illusion that they were home, and I think that is what ate at me the most. They still weren't free; they were there for the humans' amusement.

When I came upon the Primate Plaza, I had to take a deep breath before going in. I knew this would not be easy to look at.

There were so many; almost every species I could think of, and I can't say they looked at peace, but they also didn't exactly look distressed. If I didn't know any better, I'd say they almost looked…brainwashed. I mean, their expressions were not very lively, and it made me wonder just how long they had been there. But just then, I suddenly smiled. _They_ were my reinforcements. They would follow me in my pursuit to overthrow the humans. I was going to give them their rightful freedom, just as they deserved.

………

By the time evening rolled around I knew I had to get back to my "base," but unfortunately, I knew it was too far of a walk, so I took refuge somewhere else, with plenty of boxes for me to choose from. It was behind a grocery store I believe, and it hadn't taken me long to find the box of my choice. And right when I had finally settled myself in for the night, there was a loud clap of thunder, as well as a startling flash of lightening, and within seconds, the rain fell from the sky. I had found shelter in the nick of time.

If I could get the girls on my side, I figured everything would be a success. Everything was going well so far, but knowing my luck, something was bound to go wrong. But I held on to my positive attitude. If I wanted any of this to be a success, then I couldn't let doubts cloud the issue. I just had to put one foot in front of the other, and go for it.

Watching the rain fall was actually starting to put me to sleep, but by the time my eyes started drooping, I was suddenly brought back into full awareness when I heard screaming. I could tell that whoever it was, they were close, so I decided to see just what it was all about.

I quickly ran in the direction that I was positive I had heard the commotion. When I happened upon the situation, my heart swelled with delight. There they were, all together: the Powerpuff Girls, and what made it even more splendid was the fact that the Gangrene Gang was there, too, obviously giving the girls some trouble just as they had with me earlier. I guess they did not know when to let up. But it was my golden opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.

Picking up a discarded trashcan lid, I climbed onto the rooftop of one of the delivery trucks and took careful aim. I wanted to make sure I got them all with one shot. Getting my hand to stay steady was difficult since I was so excited, but I finally managed to pull back my hand and let the trashcan lid take to the air.

It struck them one right after the other and brought them down before finally ricocheting itself back into my grasp like a boomerang. Oh yes, that had definitely felt good. I looked over towards the girls who were all looking at me with shock.

"Wow, than-"

I did not wait for their thank you. I leapt off the truck and made a break for it back to my cardboard box, hoping they would follow me.

"Hey, wait! Come back!" I heard Blossom shout behind me. I knew they had to be following me now.

Perfect.

* * *

**A/N: **I apologize for taking so long to update. I know it's been months. No real excuse I'm afraid…well, except for graduation and the beach trip but other than that, I've just been lazy.

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	11. Coming Together

X

Coming Together

I knew they were right behind me as I ran. This was good. No, this was perfect. It was all coming together. I knew I could very easily persuade them to helping me succeed. But I could not let them on to my true plan of course.

I managed to make it back to my cardboard box. I didn't expect, or want to remain hidden from them. I knew they'd find me; I could still hear their hasty footsteps behind me, getting closer and closer by the second.

I turned my head slightly and watched from the darkness. As soon as I saw them round the corner and make their way towards my box, I smiled. My heart started pounding with excitement. When the redhead finally took notice of me, I actually had to keep myself from shouting a jig of glee. I felt like a giddy five-year-old on his way to an amusement park.

"Hey, guys, over here!" the redhead shouted happily, and then they all approached my box quickly. "Hi, what's your name? I'm Blossom."

"Buttercup."

"And I'm…Bubbles!"

I had to keep my excitement under control, which was _not _easy. I took a deep breath as I prepared myself to put on a real show, which wasn't entirely an act of dramatic misery. I mean, after all, I had been through absolute _hell_, for lack of better word. And please pardon my language.

"Go away. Do not look at me," I said pathetically. A little too pathetically now that I think about it.

"But we just wanted to thank you for saving us from those green gangsters back there," said Blossom.

"Yeah, that was amazing with the trashcan lid," Buttercup chimed in, unable to control her own excitement. "It was all THWOOSH! BANG! SPLASH! BAM! BOOM!"

"Yeah, you rock," added Bubbles. Yes, I most certainly did rock.

"No, please," I began sadly, "I dare not listen. For I have been lashed by harsh tongues for too long. Alas, my little ones, I do not rock. For I, Jojo am…a monster." As though on cue, a flash of lightening illuminated my face, pursued by a loud crack of thunder. The girls were still smiling.

"You're not a monster," said Blossom with confidence. "Monsters are evil."

"Yeah, and anybody who would save us like you did is _so_ not evil."

I did not think I was evil either. Not then. This was a means of payback. How in the world could I be evil when mankind was out there destroying and uprooting families? This was probably the only time I thought I was doing good. After that…well…I will discuss that more thoroughly in later chapters.

"You're no monster, mister. You're just really dirty," said Bubbles happily. Well _that _was no joke. After all, I had been wallowing around in the garbage that day and who knows how bad I smelled.

"Please, you're just trying to make me feel better. But my pain is not for you to understand." No, it was not for anyone to understand. No one could ever understand. What this was about was rooted so much deeper than anyone could ever hope to dig. "Besides, how could you? For you are pure and innocent and most certainly loved." I tried to hide a smirk when I saw the uneasy look on their faces. "How could _you _know what it is like to be cast out into a world that only offers misery? How could _you _know what it's like for people to fear and despise you for the very things that make you special? Because you don't fit in. Because you are…a freak!" At that point I finally revealed myself fully from the darkness of the box, with the paper bag removed from my head, exposing my brain. My heart pounded with fear for a moment, as I was afraid that the girls would possibly flee at the site of me. Everyone else had found my exposed brain repulsive, I thought perhaps they would, too, but they still stood there, staring at me glumly.

"Because…" They all suddenly took to the air, demonstrating their powers to me to better prove their reasons for why they were an equal to me. "…we're freaks, too."

"What amazing powers!" I said excitedly, though I already knew they possessed the ability to fly, but I kept wondering just how far their powers extended, and how much of a help they would be to me.

"No, they're terrible!" Blossom shouted back angrily.

"I bet everyone hates them," I responded.

"Yeah," agreed Buttercup, sounding quite angry.

"And they hate you, too."

"Yes," said Bubbles in a much saddened voice.

I suddenly turned away from them, tears welling up. "I am in the same boat. This brain is full of brilliant ideas. But will anyone listen? No. Nothing in this gray matters…so what's the point?"

I retreated back to my box, my head cast down towards the ground.

"Oh, Jojo, don't be sad," Bubbles started. "Our dad says that sometimes people get angry when they don't understand something special or unique." My eyes suddenly opened upon hearing these words. I felt myself growing excited yet again, but at least this time my heart wasn't pounding so hard I could hear it in my ears. I knew I had their trust.

"And if you just give people time, they'll start to understand your specialness," added Blossom.

"Yeah, you just gotta believe in yourself."

I finally smiled. I knew this was my opportunity to strike. Now it was a matter of turning their words around and throwing them right back at them.

I suddenly stuck my head out of the box. "You mean, if I take the time the time to construct my most ingenious plan, the "Help the Town and Make It a Better Place Machine," then people will come to understand my specialness?" Yes, I know. The "Help the Town and Make It a Better Place Machine" is the most ridiculous, uncreative title anyone could have thought of. I guess I could have been more creative than that.

"Uhh.." The girls looked dumbfounded by my sudden words, but I took their lack of speech for a positive answer anyway.

"Okay, I'll do it. But I'll need your help."

I quickly scooted back into the box, grabbed the blueprint and stuffed it in my coat pocket, then grabbed the device which would support my soon-to-be observatory.

"W-Wait, Jojo, what are you-" Blossom started but I was quick to cut her off.

"Just follow me. I've already thought it through."

I stepped out of the box, the platform secured under my right arm. I walked past the girls and went on, hoping they would follow my lead, but I turned my head slightly just to make sure they were behind me. They were, but I could tell they were already apprehensive about what I was planning to do.

"Jojo, what is this about?" Blossom asked. I smirked.

"Soon, soon. You will see, my little ones."

"Come on, Jojo! Tell us!" Buttercup shouted, stepping in front of me.

"Just be patient," I replied as I stepped to the side and kept going. My heart went from pounding with excitement, to pounding with fear. I could tell that they felt uneasy about whatever it was I had planned. I wasn't sure if it was because they didn't trust me, or just didn't trust themselves. It was hard to tell, but whatever the reason, I could not afford to jeopardize their trust just yet.

Getting there seemed to take forever though since Buttercup and Bubbles kept trying to stir up some kind of pointless conversation.

"So, where are you from?" Bubbles asked politely, trying to keep up with my fast pace.

"Umm…around," I replied with a shrug.

"Did you escape from the zoo or something?" asked Buttercup.

"Ugh…okay, we'll go with that," I said.

"Were you born with your brain sticking out of your head?"

"N-No…it…kind of happened by accident," I replied a little uneasily, trying to focus my attention somewhere else. I felt like a cornered rat all of a sudden.

"Really? What happened?!" Buttercup asked with excitement.

"Yeah!" Bubbles added as she stepped closer to me and grabbed onto my coat. "Tell us!"

"Buttercup, Bubbles, that's enough," Blossom suddenly cut in. "It's rude to pester people about personal things. If Jojo doesn't want to talk about it, then leave it alone."

I couldn't help but sigh in relief. I thought they were never going to leave me alone. I think that was truly the only time I ever really appreciated Blossom for anything.

By the time we made it to Volcano Mountain my heart swelled with happiness yet again. I clutched the platform to my chest and looked to the girls with a smile. "I need your help getting up there."

The girls all looked up to the top of the volcano, then looked at me as though I was off my nut.

"Up _there_?" Buttercup asked, pointing to the top of the volcano. "You really want to go up there?"

"Yes, yes! Please hurry. The sooner we get started, the better!" I replied hastily, clutching the platform even tighter. The girls looked at each other for a moment, still a bit unsure, and then did a quick check around the perimeter to make sure there was no one around to witness them use their powers. Blossom and Bubbles took hold of me and carried me to the top of the volcano. As we made it to the lip of the crater I winced as I felt the intense heat of the magma on my face, drying my eyes and forcing tiny beads of sweat to dot my forehead. The girls didn't seem to be bothered at all by it, however.

"Alright, now since I do not have the strength to withstand the intense heat of the volcano's magma, I need you to take this device and anchor it into the core."

Now they really were looking at me as though I was off my nut.

"_WHAT?!_" they shouted in unison.

"Jump in, take this device I've built into the volcano; we need to harness the energy of the Earth's core for power!"

They still looked lost.

"What are you talking about?" Blossom asked, staring at me wide-eyed.

"The plan," I replied simply.

"What plan?" asked Buttercup next.

"Our plan."

"To do what?" now asked Bubbles.

"To make the town better of course."

"What?!" they all responded.

"You know," I started as I quickly pulled the blueprint from my pocket, "using my ideas and your powers, we will build the "Help the Town and Make It a Better Place Machine." That way, everyone will see that our special abilities are good, then everyone will love us. Remember? It was _your_ idea."

They still looked a bit uneasy. Apparently, I was moving too fast with all this, and I'll admit, I probably was, but I'm extremely impatient. I like to get things done fast and _this _was something I could not wait around for. Mankind had been asking for this for a long time.

"Ugh…oh yeah," said Blossom sheepishly. "But…use our powers?"

"Yes!" I responded excitedly.

"No way," said Buttercup firmly.

"Come on," I persuaded.

"Nuh-uh. We're never using our powers again," said Bubbles sadly.

"Oh, girls, don't be sad. Your powers are great. You just gotta believe in yourself," I reminded them, trying not to gag on my own words. I persuaded them further with a smile, hoping they would finally give in. They stared at the bubbling magma for just a moment, contemplating on what to do. Finally, they grabbed the device and took to the air and aligned themselves perfectly, then dove into the center of the crater and beneath the surface of the hot magma. I felt myself relax a little as I grinned. I was beginning to think they were never going to give in.

Moments later, the girls emerged from the crater, the platform protruding from the center of the crater and marking the spot where my observatory would soon rest.

"Yes! Yes! Yes!" I shouted excitedly, not even considering the fact that I was in danger of the splashes of lava that were being flung in my direction. I was too overcome with happiness to care.

"We did good?" asked Blossom.

"You did very good. Very good indeed," I replied.

"Now whadda we do?" asked Buttercup.

I turned my attention back to my blueprint. "First we construct the superstructure."

"How do we do that?" asked Bubbles. I looked at the blueprint firmly, then placed my hand to my chin as I thought it over for a moment.

"We'll need something durable, something…solid…It can't be manmade, it has to be something natural. Hmmm…A meteorite! Yes! That is what we need! We need a-"

Before I could even finish my sentence, the girls were already gone, off to find the object of importance. Powers or not, I knew constructing this thing was going to take some time, probably all night and it was possible the girls would be gone for a while. This gave me a chance to build my next device. I was pretty sure I knew _how_ to build it, the only problem was getting it done without the girls noticing. I would need a simple way of getting the apes and monkeys into my observatory that was not noticeable to any human. I knew a device that sophisticated would take time to create, and I had to get started on it right way.

Slowly and carefully, I started making my way back down the volcano, wishing I had asked the girls to drop me back on the ground before taking off on their search.

………

Before I got started on my next device, I had to first put together several I-beam molds to use to create the framework, which would come first in the construction. This hadn't taken long at all; twenty-five minutes tops. Once I had done that, I next started to work on the next important device, which I knew would be a bit more difficult.

Searching for the meteorite had taken the girls longer than I anticipated, which I was thankful for, because searching for the materials to make the teleporting device was just as difficult. They had been gone for over an hour, and I had managed to create only five of the teleporting components, and I needed dozens more, but not once did I take a break. I worked with speed and concentration all while keeping my eyes on the sky.

It took them two hours, but I saw them returning, a three of them supporting a large meteorite over their heads. Stuffing the chips in my pocket, I rant towards the volcano as fast as I could, waving like a maniac.

"You did it! And it's in excellent condition!"

"Yeah, we found it in Greenland under a sheet of ice!" Buttercup shouted.

"We tried looking for one in space, but most of them were pretty small!" said Blossom.

"Hey, Jojo what are you doin' down there?!" Bubbles shouted.

"I ugh…I needed to get away from the heat for a while! I cannot tolerate it as well as you can! Bubbles, can I have your assistance for a moment?"

Bubbles left her sisters and quickly flew down to float beside me. "Yeah?" she asked happily.

"I have constructed several I-beam molds while you were off searching for the meteorite. I should have made them sooner, but you're never really as prepared as you think you are. We'll need them for the framework, which will be constructed by recycling the meteorite. But I need help getting them up there. They're pretty heavy."

"Not for me!" Bubbles managed to take one I-beam in each mitt, and then quickly carried them back up to the volcano's lip, then came back down for the third, and for me as well. Blossom and Buttercup still held the meteorite over their heads, looking to me for instruction.

"Yes, this is excellent! It's just the right size. Bubbles, if you will, there is a tiny switch on the underside of the platform. There are three support rods that will anchor themselves to the wall of the volcano if you flip it."

"Got it!" It took her but just a second to find the switch and activate the support rods. Each one simultaneously shot out and buried themselves into the interior wall of the volcano.

"Good! Alright, now move the meteorite over this way just a bit. A little more…" I stepped behind one of the I-beam molds and continued to motion for the girls to move closer. "Almost…alright that's perfect! We'll need to melt the meteorite down to hot, liquid formation to fill the molds."

"No problem!" they shouted. Bubbles got around on the other side and held the meteorite in place while Blossom and Buttercup fired up their laser eyes and began cutting through the meteorite's center, letting the hot, molten rock pour into the mold.

"Yes, that's great! Excellent work!"

The framework didn't take too long at all, and it went smoothly. The meteorite had been just the right size, and hardly any of it went unused. Once the framework was done, we used what was left of the meteorite to create about half of the metal plates of the dome.

"What do we need to do next?" asked Blossom eagerly.

"Well," I started as I looked over my blueprint yet again, "we'll need to recycle more metal to finish constructing the dome, and we also need to start focusing on building the inside as well, which will be a bit more difficult. But I think I know exactly what we can use and where to find it. According to my research, the Bermuda Triangle is believed to be the location of many lost vessels and aircrafts."

"Why there?" asked Bubbles.

"Well no one really knows. There are many theories, but my personal belief is that it's methane hydrates. But let's not get into that. The point is, it is believed that several submarines were victims of the Triangle, and one of them carries a vast amount of components that we can use, because the submarine was not lost that long ago. And we can use the submarine itself to finish the outside of the dome."

"You really think it sank because of the Bermuda Triangle?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, evidence does not really support the theory, but since it's located just three miles east of the Bermuda Triangle, many stick to the belief that it was the Triangle that brought it down."

"That's kinda scary," said Buttercup. "But kinda cool, too."

"I think I read about the Bermuda Triangle in one of the books the Professor gave me!" said Blossom excitedly. I smiled at hearing this.

"Ah, so you know its coordinates?" I asked.

"Yep. Just…not where that one submarine is. But it shouldn't be that hard to find. Come on, girls!"

Once again, they were gone before I could utter another word. I figured they probably wouldn't be gone for too long this time, so I needed to take what little time I could to get back to work on the teleportation device.

………

The girls were gone for nearly an hour this time. I really, _really _wish I had gotten everything done before I ran into them, but everything seemed to happen so fast. My speed had increased though, and I was getting my next device done a little faster, but the girls had arrived before I had a chance to stop working. I looked up as I saw them hovering over the still incomplete observatory, submarine in hand.

"Hey, Jojo, what're you making?" asked Buttercup.

"Oh, these? It's all part of the plan, girls. It's nothing I can't handle on my own," I said quickly. They seemed to accept my answer, and I was glad, too. At least now I could work on the device without having to worry about them getting suspicious. "I see you've got the submarine!"

"Yep! We think this is the one," said Blossom.

"Excellent, excellent. Now, let's get something to smash it open."

Bubbles had already taken the liberty of retrieving a discarded beam that was unnecessary for the framework, and swung it at the submarine, breaking it open like a piñata. And the candy inside was glorious! There were plenty of metal parts inside that could be put to good use, and I did not waste any time getting my hands on them.

After sorting through the different parts and figuring out what to use them for, we recycled the submarine and used it to finish making the outside of the dome, then we once again turned our attention to the inside. After about an hour or so, I gave the girls instructions on what to do, and I once again focused my attention back to my teleporting device, as I was desperate to get that thing done.

While the girls weren't looking, I pulled a camera from my pocket which I had retrieved from the garbage and redesigned. I opened it up and started fitting each little device in one by one. I could only fit in fifteen at a time, so that meant I would have to keep the rest hidden in my pocket and reload whenever I ran out. I had to place a hand to my mouth to keep from laughing out loud. My plan was working. It was truly coming together just as I had imagined it. And the real icing on the cake would be the looks on the humans' faces when I finally took control.

When I had finally completed the device, I breathed a sigh of relief and went back to helping the girls with the rest of the construction, but I was shocked that during my short period of working, they had actually completed over half of the construction on their own.

"I cannot believe you almost finished it without me," I said as I walked around the nearly complete observatory.

"This ain't so hard!" Buttercup said proudly.

"Well, I guess we better get some light going in here," I said as I made my way toward the main power circuit. "You've done excellent work! We don't have that much farther to go!" I said as I plugged the two power cords together, which instantly rewarded us with bright, green lighting that lit the entire inside. "I think we should next start to work on the telescope."

"What do we need a telescope for?" asked Buttercup.

"Now, now, let's not ask questions right now. Just wait! Once the entire structure is complete, I'll show you how its purpose will be executed! Now come! Me mustn't let time get too far ahead of us!"

………

I knew it was very early into the morning as the observatory finally started nearing completion. I do not think I had ever gone that long without sleep, but not once did I stop to rest or even feel like resting. I had never felt so wide awake before, and the girls didn't seem to be showing any signs of tiring out either.

The telescope was in place, though it wasn't entirely complete yet, and the glass containers that I needed for the chemical X had not been put into place yet either.

"Ok, girls, we're almost done," I said as I pulled out the blueprint. "We just need to get that telescope done, and this as well." I pointed towards the glass containers on the blueprint then looked towards the control console. "Up there is where they will rest. Oh, and I almost forgot these, too." I next pointed to the glass tanks. "Since it is glass that we are working with, then what we'll need is sand, and lots of it."

"Where are we going to get sand?" asked Bubbles.

"The desert, dummy!" Buttercup snapped.

"Buttercup, don't call Bubbles names! And you _should _know that there are cold deserts as well. A desert does not always consist of sand."

"Know-it-all."

"While Blossom is most certainly correct, I have to agree with Buttercup that a _hot_ desert is the best place to find vast amounts of sand," I said.

"Which desert, though? The Sahara Desert? Or what about the Kalahari?" asked Blossom. I quickly shook my head no.

"No, no, those are all the way in Africa. We should probably choose something within the United States."

"That's no problem for us!" Buttercup piped up. "We'll be back in no time!"

"If you're sure…"

"Sure we're sure! Let's go!"

Buttercup did not even wait for a second reply from me before she took off in a flash, nor did she even wait for her sisters.

"Wait, Buttercup! Wait for us!"

Blossom and Bubbles followed after their sister and were out of sight within seconds. I was alone once more to look over the work that had already been completed on the observatory.

I placed a hand to my chest as I started to feel my heart rate kick up. "This is going to be grand," I said as I walked towards the window which gave me a direct view of the repulsive city. Their destruction was being plotted under their noses and they didn't even know it. "This is my moment of glory. My redemption," I whispered.

* * *

**A/N: **I was going to add a little more to this and end the chapter right where they were about to go to the zoo, but I was honestly getting sick of typing this chapter and I didn't want it to get too long so I decided to stop it there. Also because I think the ending quote just seemed like a good place to stop.


	12. Moment of Glory

****

XI

…

Moment of Glory

…

It was not long before the girls returned with the sand. It seemed they had gathered more than enough to make what was needed for the glass equipment. After giving proper instructions, I stood to the side and watched as they fired up their eye beams and set to work. Moments later I, too, set to work and helped secure the bolts and screws in place where they were needed.

"Look! Can't you see our plan is working?" I exclaimed happily. "Our work is proceeding as planned! At last, our lives will be better! At last, we will be accepted! At last, our greatest work is comple….oops," I said in realization as I glanced at the blueprint in my hands, seeing that I had foolishly forgotten about the most important thing needed to finish the project.

"What's wrong?" asked Blossom.

"Wellll…there is one last teeny, tiny, itsy bitsy thing we still need."

The girls looked curious for a moment and then looked towards the blueprint. "What?" asked Bubbles.

"Well," I began as I rolled up the blueprint. "I need a container of Chemical X.," I answered simply, but the girls did not seem to express any familiarization to the name. "Trust me, we won't be able to execute the plan without it."

"But what is it?" asked Buttercup. "Where would we find it?"

"You do not know of any location that would harbor such a chemical?" I asked, cocking my head slightly.

"The Professor's lab!" Blossom shouted. "I think I saw something that said Chemical X there."

"Are you sure we should?" asked Bubbles. "He might get mad."

"But we're doing it to help the town!" Blossom reassured, and I had to hide my smirk. "Don't worry, Bubbles. I know he'll be proud of us! Come on!"

And then they were gone again, and I had to take a moment to laugh at Blossom's statement. The tiniest voice inside my head tried to tell me how sick I was, but I easily blocked it out as I turned to admire my new observatory. My heart swelled with pride again and a strong, deep feeling that I had already run made my heart accelerate. But there was still one last step that needed to be completed.

The girls returned within seconds, Blossom with the large flask of Chemical X in her hands. I smiled and pointed up to the top of the device, where the flask would need to be set. Once the Chemical X was properly in place, my smile widened.

"Yes! Yes! YES!" I shouted, jumping up in down in glee.

"We did good?" Blossom asked.

"You did _very _good. Very good indeed," I answered.

"Now what do we do?" asked Buttercup. Hmm…déjà vu.

"Well, because you've done so good, I've got a special surprise."

The girls' faces instantly lit up with excitement, though Bubbles looked by far the most enlightened by my words.

"What kind of surprise?!" Buttercup shouted eagerly.

"Yeah! Are you taking us to the toy store?!" Bubbles asked, practically tackling me to the ground.

"The museum?!" Blossom chimed in, equally excited.

"The museum?" Buttercup asked, looking towards Blossom with a look of displeasure. "How is that any fun?"

"The museum is very educational," Blossom snapped, throwing her nonexistent nose to the air.

"Girls, girls, girls," I began with a smile, "let us not argue. It is neither the museum, nor the toy store, but it is just as equally exciting, _and _educational. But I shall not reveal it to you here. You will just have to see for yourselves when we get there. Now come, we don't have a moment to spare. Hurry, hurry, hurry!"

Oh I was most certainly more excited than they were. No doubt.

o0o

On the way to our destination the girls just would not hush up for a moment about the surprise, though I tried to remain as patient as I could and not snap at them. In an instant I knew the burden of being a parent, and it made me wonder how in the world my mother had such patience with me.

"Here we are," I said, then looked to the Girls to see their reaction. Their faces were bright with happiness and instantly made a mad dash for the Zoo's entrance.

"Yaaay!"

As soon as we passed through the entrance the Girls went ahead without me, going from pen to pen and admiring the numerous species of animals they happened upon.

"Ohhh," they said in unison as they happened upon the elephant pen. They managed to stay put for a moment, long enough for me to catch up with them, though I simply walked on by, not at all intrigued by the presence of the elephants. It was nothing I had not seen before.

"Aahhh," they said when they next came upon a pond of seals, though I was still uninterested and continued on, though I gave the Girls a chance to admire the creatures.

"Oooh," they said when they saw the lions, but I continued on, paying no mind. A thought occurred to me and I quickly made my way over to where the zebras were located. Knowing little girls, horses, or anything resembling a horse, were something they loved above all other creatures for some reason. Sure enough, within moments, I heard the Girls give a delightful squeal when they saw the sign, but I quickly grabbed them before they could dart past me, and I tucked them under both arms. Smiling, I started for Primate Plaza, which was the primary reason for coming to the Zoo.

When we came to the large fenced in structure containing a large portion of the primates, I let the Girls down and they quickly ran over to take in the sight, completely forgetting about those zebras. I had to take a moment to look myself, though I knew straight off that it would probably affect me too much, and it did, just as I anticipated.

I tried to maintain a rather apathetic expression, but as I watched the monkeys hang from the branches in a frighteningly carefree manner, I felt myself plummeting into despair. In a way, I saw myself as I had once been - carefree and without fear, just as they seemed to me, but to me this case was so much worse than what I had endured. As said before, these primates were living in an allusion of what they once had…or could have had. I guess the ones who lived in ignorance were the lucky ones, since they knew nothing of the beautiful world out there, away from humans, but I knew the ones who knew of that life…the life I once had, were probably yearning for a chance to taste that life again.

I almost wanted to speak to them. I wanted to tell them they would have their chance at a new life outside of cages and pens and fences. I _wanted _to say it, but I remained silent, watching them with remorse. And then I saw that the girls had glanced my way and I quickly erased all traces of my sadness and smiled, holding up the camera, which contained the tiny teleporting components. I backed up a few feet and looked through the lens, but saw that the girls were standing in the way of my target and simply made a gesture for them to step to the side. Once they were out of my aim I gave a thumbs up, and hit the bottom, which projected one of the devices hurtling through the air at rapid speed, hidden by the bright flash of the light. The device hit its target and the monkey fell to the ground in a state of shock after being hit. I almost laughed at the creature's expense.

I hit every last primate, trying to remember which primate I had hit so that way I did not make the mistake hitting the same primate again and waste one of the components. The girls had wandered off on their own after about three pictures to marvel at the other monkeys, but I continued with the task. When the first batch of components ran out, I quickly opened the compartment and started refilling it. The girls were too preoccupied with the monkeys that they didn't even notice what I was doing, though if they did they most likely would have assumed I was adding another roll of film.

I had not realized how many monkeys there were, but the more I hit, the bigger my smile grew. The more the better. The humans would have no control whatsoever. It _seemed _easy enough, but there was still that tiny, nagging fear in the back of my mind, a fear that originated from the three very creatures who had helped make the plan a reality, but I easily pushed that fear into the very back of my mind, hoping it would not rear its ugly head again. I could not afford to let any concerns put a damper on this mission.

After I was certain I had hit every last primate with the teleporting component, I quickly brought my attention back to the girls, who I saw had stopped to look at something, though I couldn't quite see from the distance I was at. When I came to stand beside them and looked up at the picture, I felt my blood begin to boil. It was supposed to be a poster that explained how man evolved, and I use that term loosely.

"Worthless."

"Lame."

"Stupid."

"Okay."

"Better."

"Almost."

"Awesome!" the girls all shouted excitedly.

Awesome? Yes, of course. If you consider dominating every last creature on the planet and finding pleasure in slaughtering anything that moves. And worthless? Apes have always been the first ones to be the most resourceful. After all, it was we who first discovered the use of tools! Honestly…

While the girls laughed at the disgusting pictures, I turned my head to the left, looking very bitter as I tried to find interest in something else less offensive, but then my eyes widened. Perched atop a large boulder stood a large, black gorilla. How on Earth had I missed that? That is to say how could I have not acknowledged such a large and powerful creature that would under most circumstances be….I'm don't it again, aren't I? Well, _I _for one find nothing wrong with how I speak the English language. But people seem to think that my way of speaking is just annoying and is never ending, and they feel they have to teach me how to speak it "properly". But they're humans after all. What do they know? Oh well, I shall speak English the "proper" way for the remainder of this story, as I _do _want to get this book published and I know the publishes do not appreciate my superior way of speaking.

Perfect, now I've gotten off track. Well, on the off chance that you have not stopped reading after that last paragraph, I shall continue:

I flashed a grin as I held the camera up. Knowing the power a gorilla possessed, he would be an excellent addition to my army, probably the best.

There was a quick flash and the gorilla looked surprised for a moment as he picked at his fur where the component had been imbedded. I lowered the camera, still grinning. The next biggest step was completed, and now the main mission was about to begin.

"Come, girls," I began. "Our work is fin - oh, I mean…time to go," I corrected myself. I cannot believe I almost slipped up like that.

I started making my way towards the exit, feeling quite content with myself, despite the girls complaining as they trailed behind.

"Awww! But Jojo!" they all said disappointedly.

"We haven't seen the gazelles," said Blossom.

"Or the crocodiles," added Buttercup.

"Or the unicorns!" cried Bubbles. I was not sure why she assumed the zoo would have a mythical creature, unless it was just a horse with horn glued to its forehead, but I chose not to answer her. I just continued making my way towards the exit, humming a happy tune. I had almost completely forgotten about the girls, and it was only when I finally reached the exit that I realized that they had fallen behind, but I quickly spotted them a few feet behind me. It seemed that Blossom was comforting Bubbles while Buttercup was shouting at some woman who obviously had done something to offend Bubbles.

"Don't listen, Bubbles," I heard Blossom say, and I quickly seized the opportunity to interject.

"That's right, Bubbles. Do not listen," I said as I stepped up to them. "All of you, deafen yourselves to their heartless words. They do not know that it is their saviors they are speaking to. They are unaware that your actions will have helped change their world forever."

Their mood quickly changed and a smile spread across each of their faces. Smiling back at them, I bent down and picked them up in an embrace. "Because we have helped the town and made it a better place," I lied. Well, sort of. I was only making it better for my kind, as well as myself, but of course I saw no wrong in this. I felt that mankind had had this coming for centuries.

"You think they'll be surprised?" asked Blossom.

"Oh, yeah."

"You think they'll still be mad at us for playing tag?" next asked Buttercup.

"No, they'll have forgotten all about that," I replied.

"Will they love us?"

I was very silent for a moment. That obnoxious voice in my head spoke up again, trying with all its might to spread a thick layer of guilt over my conscious, but again, I had the upper hand and pushed that pesky voice aside as I answered, "Yes."

"Really?"

"Would I lie to you?"

o0o

When we had prepared to make our departure from the Zoo, we spotted a vendor near the entrance giving away free juice and animal crackers. The girls were quick to help themselves. I was quite hungry myself so I too obtained a box of crackers and a juice box.

As we made our way back I remained silent, sipping on the strawberry-flavored juice and devouring the crackers, while the girls chatted about the different animals they had seen. While they went about their excited jabber, I could only engage myself with silent excitement, hiding smirks and grins as I continued to imagine how sweet my revenge would taste.

We each got our fair share of angry looks on our way back to the observatory. Most of them were directed towards the girls, who amazingly didn't seem to care as much anymore. I, on the other hand, mostly got odd looks, confused looks. One punk kid passed by us, and I heard him mutter, "Freaks of a feather flock together." Yes, very witty. In fact, I think that was one of the brats who had chucked rocks at me just the other day. So, we were the town's official freaks. The insult hardly affected me. It only made my smile grow bigger as I thought of how all of mankind was going to suffer at my hand.

I suddenly felt something latch onto my neck and hug me, causing my heart to jump in surprise. "Thanks for taking us to the Zoo!"

It was Blossom.

"Oh…umm, you're welcome." I felt my face begin to heat up.

"Yeah, it was pretty cool," said Buttercup. "I just wish we could have stayed longer."

"The zoo isn't going anywhere. There will be other opportunities in the future to go again," I said.

_'If I don't make you into an exhibit'_ I thought, trying not to laugh at the thought.

We stopped by the Townsville park and disposed of our trash, then finally made it back to the observatory.

"What do we do now?" asked Bubbles.

"Well, there is one last thing I could use some help with. You see last night I took some time to design my own garb that would best suit me, because as you can see," I gestured toward my current attire, "this isn't too fashionable. Most of this I got out of a dumpster, and I need something new and I also need better, more protective coverage for my brain."

"No problem!" said Blossom.

"Very good. Well, hopefully it shouldn't take too long. I would like to make several of these outfits so that I will always have another once either of them gets dirty or becomes tattered. Come, the sooner we get started, the sooner we'll be done."

o0o

The designs for the tunics were not difficult, so it didn't take long to make, but I was amazed at how quickly the girls worked, although I shouldn't have been surprised. For every tunic I completed, the girls had each completed three, making that nine for every tunic I made. I originally only wanted about six or so, but the girls would just never cease. It was apparent that they liked being useful. They liked not being looked down upon as a bunch of freaks who destroyed everything they touched. Obviously, me giving them jobs and asking for their help really boosted their self-esteem. I really did pity them for a moment there

I was just finishing up my third tunic when Buttercup appeared in front of me, looking quite proud of herself as she held out a finished brain cap for me to inspect. "I went ahead and made one of them. I already made like six of those outfits so I thought I'd start on this. This is what you wanted, right?"

I reached out and took the turban to give it a full inspection. "Hmm, sleek," I knocked on the glass, "durable…It's perfect."

"Really?"

I nodded, running my hand over the glass. "Yes, indeed."

"Cool, I'll go make more!"

I turned around to check on Bubbles and Blossom, only to see a massive pile of blue tunics. Both girls looked rather sheepish for a moment.

"Too much?" asked Blossom.

"Nah," I said as I waved my hand dismissively. "The more the better. This way I'll never run out. Now we just need to make the shoes, gloves and belts."

"This is so much fun! I love doing stuff right!" Bubbles cheered happily.

"I know," agreed Blossom. "It feels good not destroying everything in sight and then have everyone be mad at us. So when do we help the town and make it a better place?"

"Tomorrow," I said, grinning.

o0o

"Let's go to the park, Jojo!" Bubbles squealed as she tugged on my arm.

"Yeah, come on! Let's go play at the park!" added Buttercup.

"Oh…you girls go ahead. I think I better stay behind and get these clothes put away. I should also inspect all the equipment and make sure it is working properly."

"Aww, come on, Jojo!" they all whined.

"No, no, you go ahead. You deserve to have some fun after all the hard work you've done."

"But we want you to come, too!" Blossom begged.

"No, I'm afraid I've used up most of my energy. You go on without me."

They finally accepted that I was not coming with them, though they could not hide their looks of disappointment. They darted out the front door and made their way for the park, leaving me alone with the comfort of silence. And it was strange how I had become so accustomed to that silence, too. Noise was something I had been born into, and come to live with through my short-lived childhood. I suppose it was the fact that knowing that since there was silence, there was the comfort of knowing that there was no one there. No one there to hurt me, or threaten me, or make me feel small and helpless. Although with that silence, there was nothing there to keep me occupied…and to keep my thoughts from drifting, and it was all I could do to keep my thoughts from wandering into those memories that I would sooner forget in a heartbeat if I could.

I quickly busied myself with hanging my tunics up and tried to imagine the day to come, which I hoped would offer me some happiness, but that's when my conscious started up again, trying to convince me that I was basically being a prick. And I'm sure most of you are probably finding it hard to believe that I even had a conscious. Well, honestly, after everything that happened to me, that voice inside my head just kept getting quieter and quieter, until now it was nothing more than a mere whisper. This was what seemed right to me; getting my revenge and making all of mankind pay for my suffering, as well as the suffering of my kind and any species that suffered at the hands of humans. There was no way I could turn back now. The road ahead of me was paved and ready to lead me.

Strangely, for a moment, I felt calm and at peace with myself. I even whistled a happy tune as I inspected the equipment and tested it.

o0o

When the girls returned, night was beginning to set in. Street lights flickered on, one by one as the sun descended behind the massive skyscrapers. I stood with the door opened, allowing the three girls to float inside.

"We really need to get home," said Blossom.

"Yeah, but we can't wait till tomorrow!" added Buttercup.

"Neither can I," I replied. Bubbles flew in and wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Bye, Jojo! Thanks for taking us to the Zoo!"

"Should we meet you here?" Buttercup asked.

"No, no. I will have everything set up near City Hall. You can meet me there."

"Awesome! See ya tomorrow!"

Buttercup joined her blonde sister outside, leaving only Blossom and I. She slowly floated down to the floor and looked up at me, her arms behind her back as a smile crossed her face. "Thanks for everything," she said. I felt a strange feeling in the pit of my stomach again. It had to be guilt, I knew just knew it.

"My pleasure," I said. "Tomorrow is the beginning of a new era."

"Thanks for giving us a chance and showing us how to believe in ourselves. What you've done means more to me than anything."

She flew up and hugged me, and I could not even bring myself to return the affection. Once she departed and returned home with her sisters I let out the breath I had been holding for the last ten seconds, happy to finally be alone. I inhaled through my nose but nearly wretched when I found out just how foul I smelled. I turned and shuffled my way towards the bathroom, which the girls had completed with questions of why it was needed. My simple response had been, "Everything needs a bathroom."

I ripped my tattered, smelly clothes off and turn on the water, eager to wash the foul stench from my body. Once the steam began to fill the room I quickly stepped into the tub and let the water cascade down my back and chest. Unfortunately I had no soap or shampoo, but the water alone did well to wash the dirt from my skin and fur.

As I stood there, I completely lost myself in thought, which I had been doing a lot those past couple of days. It was like my mind was switching over, switching over to 'Destroy and Conquer' mode. It was rather frightening, actually. I was barely acknowledging that I was turning into a blood-thirsty animal. My conscience was slowly becoming nonexistent, and I had never felt more alive.

Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed a small hand towel off the rack and ran it along my arms and sides, trying to sop up what little bit of water it could hold. I was clean for the most part, and the smell of garbage that still lingered was almost gone, and my fur was definitely cleaner now that the dirt had been washed away. I didn't feel quite as clean as I would have liked to, but I did feel fresher.

I discarded the towel and left the bathroom, walking swiftly towards the control console where I would begin the next step in the plan. Taking a seat, I cracked my knuckles. "Showtime," I said. I leaned back in my chair and slowly held up my hand, my finger hovering high above the button needed to activate the transportation components. All I could do right then was just savor it all.

My finger hit the button and I sat back patiently to await their arrival. One by one, they appeared in the tanks reserved for them, where they would soon receive the gift that had been given to me. Yes, it was no mere accident that I had stepped in the path of the explosion and received the power of the Chemical X. They say everything happens for a reason, and it was true! This was all meant to be! At first it had seemed like a curse, just another unfortunate event that I was meant to suffer through. I had been treated like dirt, looked upon as a freak, but it had all given me the extra momentum I needed.

The last of the primates made their arrival and I flipped the switch that soon brought the machine we had constructed to life. The Chimical X drained from its main container and found its way into the multiple flasks awaiting it. I watched from the corner of my eye, my hand firmly gripping the lever which would start the next phase. The flasks spun out of their positions, the Chemical X filling them halfway. I quickly pushed the lever forward and the flasks came to a sudden halt. My hand glided over the console and found the switch to send the Chemical X though the many translucent tubes, where it would finally find their hosts. Electricity surged, as did my anxiousness, while the room glowed a bright, neon green. The powerful liquid coursed through the tubes, flowed into the tanks, and found its captives.

I felt a slight twinge of pity when I saw their faces constrict in pain and shock, as I knew just how painful it was. But I knew they would come to appreciate their new powers just as I had. I saw their skin color change, and then the final transformation when their brains emerged from their skulls. I could not quite see if the easiest or hardest part had been complete, as I did not know how easy it would be to take over the world. Somehow I felt Townsville would be quick to fall under our reign.

Any possible screw ups or complications were easily shoved into the back of my mind as I lost myself in a long laugh of success. I can't even remember how long it lasted.

o0o

I could see the sun rising.

My heart started pounding rapidly against my chest. This was it. The long overdue pay back was now in session.

"Today's the day!" I said, throwing my hands to the air. I slowly made my way over to the wardrobe where the clothes had been put away previously, smiling happily to myself. "What to wear?" I said aloud, opening the door. "Oh, that's nice."

The tunic was the first thing I put on, and it fit me like a glove. It certainly felt nice to get out of those ratty clothes and into something that was made just for me. "Perfect," I said, nodding in satisfaction. I next grabbed a set of boots and slipped them on, bending down to zip them up. Next I grabbed a pair of gloves and slipped my hands through them, stretching out the fabric to make sure they were durable. Then came the belt, and lastly was the brain cap, which gave the uniform the finished look. If only I had a mirror to observe myself in.

Once dressed, I made my way down to the control console, my hands behind my back and my smile still present. I knew I had butterflies in my stomach, but I was not sure if it was because I was nervous. I _knew _I was excited; there was no hiding it. I was about to change history. What's not to be excited about?

My arms came to rest at my sides as I stepped in front of the console, my fists balled in determination. I mashed the 'ACTIVATE' button, which would awaken the primates from their induced sleep. Finally…my moment of glory had come.

"Yes. Yes! Wake up! Wake up, my brothers and seize the day!" I cried triumphantly as I threw my arms to the air. I eagerly pulled the lever to drain the tanks of the fluids, and then hit the button to lift the tanks from their platforms, giving the primates complete freedom. I could sense their eagerness. I knew their minds were all set on the same goal. "Our day has come to take back our world! No longer will we be putty in mankind's hands! No longer will we take their torture! No longer will we suffer! This is our moment to shine!" I made my way towards the front entrance, eager to set them all free. "THIS IS THE DAY WE SHOW TOWNSVILLE JUST WHAT OUR POWERS CAN REALLY DO!"

With the doors open and the world awaiting, they all ran past me, shouting their battle cries. I watched with satisfaction as they all took off for the town, their angry cries soon becoming mingled with the terrified cries of the unsuspecting citizens. My expression turning stern, I quickly made my way down the volcano to join them, my mind set on one human in particular - the Mayor, the man who was supposed to protect the city, the leader of the pack, the alpha male so to speak. Once he fell, the entire city would follow. This was our first step, and if one town fell, then the rest of the world would fall with them.

I made my way through the streets, my eyes focused straight ahead, though I still acknowledged the humans around me, screaming and running for their lives. _You all had it coming _I thought continuously. _How does it feel?_

As City Hall came into view I quickened my pace, becoming completely oblivious the noise around me. I pushed open the front doors and continued on in. Everyone who worked within the building were too busy trying to save themselves to even take note of me. I strode through the halls with a determined pace, my arms swinging forward and backward. I found the set of double doors at the very end of the hallway and figured on the other side was my prey. I vaguely wondered if the man had already fled the building the moment the raid started, but once I threw open the doors, I saw the pint-sized human at the other end of the room, still sitting at his desk.

Grinning, I made my way forward, enjoying the way he cowered as I got closer. _This _was the man who was supposed to lead and protect the city? Some alpha male. At least Rudo died trying to protect us. This man was just pathetic. How he had been elected as Mayor still boggles my mind.

Once I reached his desk, I pushed myself onto my tip-toes and loomed over him, still grinning as he tried to completely hide behind his desk, sweating heavily.

"Not so tough now, are you?" I said as I grabbed him like a cat, much like how I had been handled numerous times, and proceeded to hall him outside.

"Oh please, Mr. Monkey Man! Please tell your friends to stop scaring everyone and destroying my beautiful town! I'll give you all the bananas you want!"

I groaned. Humans and their stupid stereotypes…

Stepping outside before the chaos, I held up the Mayor for all to see, showing that their leader was under my control and of no help to them, though I really don't think they could have expected much from him anyway. I threw the man down to the ground and placed my foot over his head, taking a moment to enjoy the chaos before clearing my throat.

"City of Townsville!" I addressed. "I would like to take this moment to thank the little people who made this day a smashing success!"

I saw them arriving, the Professor in their grasp. Their shocked expressions were just what I was expecting. Pointing to the advancing group, I shouted, "Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup! I couldn't have done it without ya!"

Their faces went from shocked to downright horrified. The angry cries from the citizens could be heard from within the chaos as they flew over. I couldn't contain it any longer. I threw my head back and laughed.

Blossom was the first to speak. "Jojo, what happened?"

Bubbles was next. "This isn't making the town a better place!"

"Yes, it is…for _me_!" I shot back. "The hobo fo-mo-ly known as Jojo is no mo'! From this day fo-wo'd, I shall be know as…_MOJO _JOJO!"

All they could do was gasp in response. I continued:

"For too long apes and monkeys have been under the thumb of man. But the time has come to _oppose _that thumb! And to take hold of what is rightfully ours - THE WORLD!"

"Professor, we didn't want this!" they all shouted desperately. Their protest was quickly met with shouts of disagreement from the panicked crowd. I watched the exchange with a smirk, my attention sometimes redirecting itself to the army of primates that continued to reek havoc within the streets.

I suddenly heard a horrified "NOOOO!" which grew fainter as the sources of the cry descended farther and farther into the sky. It was apparent that even their own creator had not believed them. I might have pitied them, but at that point I was too far gone. I was completely lost in my success. It was all going so perfectly, so smoothly, so flawlessly, that it was almost too good to be true. And right then my only focus was to bask in the glory.

"YEAH! WOO! ALRIGHT!" I did what most would call a 'happy dance', the Mayor now in my grasp again, though I quickly threw him to the ground again in a touchdown formation. "I rock! I rock…so hard. For I, Mojo Jojo have succeeded in my first, greatest, and most brilliant plan ever! And I, Mojo Jojo, shall be…KING OF THE PLANET OF THE APES!"

And then all became silent, and I quickly learned that usually when something seems too good to be true…it usually is.

"You shall be king?" I heard a voice say. I could see where this was going already. "Preposterous!" he added, though it certainly did not sound that clear.

"What? How dare you-"

"For it is I who is the one most suited to be ruler!"

The orangutan who had dared speak out against my authority was dressing himself in the uniform _I _had personally designed. I wanted to kick myself for making them 'one size fits all.'

"Those are my clothes!" I said in shock.

"I, Ojo Tango shall be simian supreme!"

This was not going according to plan.

"No Ojo, Mojo!" I protested, pointing to myself. But the defiant orangutan suddenly climbed inside a giant, impressive tank with two large cannons mounted on both sides. Where the heck did that come from?

"As I unleash the offensive omnipotence of the oppressive Orango Tank!"

As the orangutan finished his introduction, the large gorilla spoke up next.

"Hold on!" he interrupted.

"Oh no!" I responded. This was _not _good at all. Everything was going so smoothly. Why did this have to happen?

"It is I who shall get a grip on the situation!" he continued.

"You better not!" I shouted back.

"As I, Rocko Socko, seize control and rule!" At this point he was already in uniform and now wearing a pair of steal gloves. He demonstrated their durability by punching through a building.

"Wait!" I said, though this showed no signs of stopping. This time a baboon decided to interfere.

"I, Baboon Kaboon, with my Baboom Bot will be da bomb!" he shouted as he leapt into a giant machine resembling a baboon which was perched on the rooftop of a building. Where the _heck _were they getting these machines?! Maybe they were _too _smart.

"Uh-oh," I whimpered.

"And if you don't like it…" I saw one of the machine's robotic arms reach behind itself and catch several bombs which had been disposed from a pipe at the rear. Rather disturbing if you ask me. "…you can sniff my Baboom Bot bombs!"

Wait, what?

"Oh, that's classy," I said, rolling my eyes.

Next I heard a group of voices shouting, "Gangway, gangway!" while a large barrel came…well…barreling down the street. Coming to a halt, it split open, revealing a large group of very small monkeys, their arms all linked together as they stretched themselves around several buildings before finally grasping one of the taller skyscrapers. "For we, the Go-Go-Po-Trol, as brothers in arms, are linked to form a chain of command that will reach out and take hold of your world!"

I am not even going to continue to go into detail about how many monkeys defied me and proclaimed themselves to be the supreme rulers. It is far too annoying, and it went on forever, one monkey right after the other, all dressed in my clothes and stating their false authority. The only one who had any authority was me! _I _was the one who gave them their power! It was because of _me_ that they had their freedom! They had no right to defy me like this. They should have been thanking me!

I had had enough.

"NOOOOO!" I shouted at the top of my lungs. I couldn't take it anymore! "Stop! Cease! Desist! Do not continue with your ramblings, for _my _ramblings are the ramblings to be obeyed! For I am the king, supreme ruler, and all-around dictator! DON'T YOU SEE?! All you monkeys are my plan! So your plans are my plans, because you made plans, and my plan was to make you! I plan to rule the planet, not to have my plans plan to stop me! _I _am your creator! _I _am your king! _I _am Mojo Jojo! OBEY _MEEE!" _I cried angrily, running forward as I said this and pushing the Professor out of the way.

Unfortunately, it did not seem as though my outburst had done much to even slightly gain their acceptance of my authority. "Are you even listening to me?!" I shouted, taking a few steps forward. The monkeys continued raiding the city, torturing the citizens and running amuck, not once acknowledging me. I closed my eyes and sighed. For right now, it did not matter. The plan was still going well. Who would be king would be decided later, but at the moment there was too much chaos. There was no way these monkeys were going to listen to me right now.

At that moment, all I could do was stand and watch. While I was still frustrated, I still found myself smiling at the human's expense. To see _them _running for their lives, to see _them _crying out to their loved ones, to see _them _screaming in pain…made me feel as though justice had been served. Well…partly.

I swiftly turned my head, my gaze finding the Professor still lying where he had fallen. Turning on my heels, I began to approach him slowly, my need for revenge still not fully satisfied. It did not matter to me that this man was the only one who had really treated me with kindness. In fact, I did not see him as the Professor anymore. I saw him as every disgusting, selfish, cruel human on the entire planet I had ever had contact with. It was their faces I saw, not the Professor's.

I grabbed him by the throat with as much strength as I could muster, and I had plenty of it. I lifted him into the air, hearing him give a strangled grunt. I then reached up with my other hand and secured it around his throat as well. I saw all their faces, their gleaming eyes boring into mine. Their faces were as I remembered them: cruel, cold, emotionless. It angered me beyond belief and caused me to tighten my grip. I wanted to see their fear. I wanted to see their pain! But they just continued to stare at me with cold eyes.

The face that stuck with me the most was the face of the man who had shot my mother. He was probably the one human I had the least amount of contact with, but his face was the face I remembered most of all, and still do to this day. You just don't forget the face of the person who killed someone you love. His face was forever seared inside my mind, and it was looking back at me with those same beady eyes and grinning, yellow teeth. I bit back a scream as I tightened my grip ten fold. I could hear the choking sounds coming from the Professor's (killer's) mouth, but this only encouraged me. I honestly do not know how long I had the man in a vice grip. The only thing that had been on my mind at the time was to strangle the life out of him. Only when the battered monkey landed in a crumpled heap in front of me did I snap back into reality.

"Girl-" the Professor began to shout now that my grip had loosened, but I quickly slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up!" I commanded. I then gave a worried glance towards the fallen monkey "I was afraid of this. They've returned and found out just what their powers can really do." I realized then that the true ruler would be revealed right then and there. The Powerpuff Girls had returned, and I did not have a lot of time. I dragged the Professor along as I made my way for the observatory. "Come! You will make a good powerproof vest!"

I managed to make my way through the streets, avoiding fallen debris and keeping far to the side to avoid the rampaging monkeys and the humans they chased. I could feel the Professor trying to break my hold, and I looked down just in time to see him free his mouth so he could speak.

"Jojo, is that you?" he asked as he looked up at me in bewilderment. "It can't be…"

"I'm surprised you remember me," I said, still glancing down at him.

"Jojo, listen to me, if you think I forgot about you, you're wrong! I didn't mean to! I just got so distracted after the girls had been created. I remembered you were still down in the lab after I had put them to bed. I looked all over the house but couldn't find you anywhere! Please, Jojo, I'm really sorry! I didn't mean to abandon you!"

"You think this is about _that? _You know _nothing,_" I said in a low voice, turning my attention to the front again. I moved my arm to cover his mouth again before he could speak. I was not interested in anything he had to say.

There was nothing anyone could say anymore that would ever change anything.

* * *

**Author's Note: **Wow, I can't believe it's been an entire year since I've updated this story. Well, I didn't have a lot of readers before, and I'm certain now I probably don't have any since I've taken so long to update this thing. Since I'm more interested in _Prisoner _right now I can't be sure when chapter 13 will be out, but I honestly hope it won't be another year XD I really don't have an excuse for not updating...again lol. I guess it was just lack of interest, which always gets the best of us.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed that ridiculously long chapter. I don't think I've ever written a chapter that long. Stay tuned for chapter 13, which I don't think will be that long, hopefully lol.


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